Over 800,000 people may have to wait longer for their pensions, as Cabinet is expected to further delay the auto-enrolment pension scheme until January 2026.

This is instead of the original September 2025 deadline.

Social Protection Minister Dara Calleary is expected to tell colleagues that more time is needed to deliver what is described as a “complex” system.

Sinn Féin said the scheme has been promised for the last 20 years, and further delays are unacceptable.

Pensioner holding credit card for internet banking and entering in security details. Image: Jonathan Erasmus / Alamy

Sinn Féin’s enterprise spokesperson Louise O’Reilly told The Hard Shoulder said while another few months of delay may seem harmless, it could lead to the project being pushed out another few decades.

“I think it’s worth noting, and it won’t be lost on your listeners, that the 15 people who will sit around the Cabinet table – mostly men – are all very well pensioned while they make a decision about low-income workers,” she said.

“The people who will benefit most from this are low-income workers and women.

“It’s not fair that workers are left to the back of the queue.”

Deputy O’Reilly said that this is a part of the Government’s “all-out assault on workers”.

You can listen back to the full interview here:

Main image: Hands of an elderly pensioner holding leather wallet with euro currency money. Concept of financial security in old age.