270 / 448
GAZETTE
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1996
N E WS
Association of Pension Lawyers in Ireland
Pensions Law Conference
Blackhall Place, Dublin - 25/26 April 1996
Pictured at the APLI conference were: (foreground) Martin O'Callaghan, Irish Life (Chair);
l-r: Vivienne Kane, Solicitor; Michael Wolfe, William Fry; Peter Fahy, McCann FitzCerald and
Una Tighe, Bank of Ireland.
T h e A P L I h e l d its f i r st P e n s i o ns L a w
C o n f e r e n c e in B l a c k h a ll P l a c e o n
2 5 / 2 6 A p r i l. T h e C o n f e r e n c e w a s a
t r e m e n d o us s u c c e ss o r g a n i s ed by
Martin O'Callaghan,
Irish Life
( C h a i r ),
Una Tighe,
B a n k of I r e l a n d,
Peter Fahy,
McCa nn FitzGerald,
Michael Wolfe,
William Fry and
Vivienne Kane,
Ca n a da Life. The
M i n i s t e r f o r S o c i al W e l f a r e,
Prionsias
de Rossa,
TD, launched the
c o n f e r e n c e at a c o c k t a il r e c e p t i on
hosted by
Michael Lane
of New
I r e l a nd A s s u r a n c e C o . p i c. D u r i n g h is
o p e n i n g a d d r e ss t he M i n i s t er s t r e s s ed
t h at "I b e l i e ve t h at t he i s s ue of a c c e ss
t o o c c u p a t i o n al p e n s i o ns f o r
all
p a r t-
t i m e a n d a t y p i c al w o r k e r s n e e d s to b e
a d d r e s s ed n o w , n ot j u s t f o r p e o p l e
w h o a re d i s c r i m i n a t ed a g a i n st o n t he
g r o u n d s of s e x " .
T h i s p a r t i c u l ar t h e m e w a s , in f a c t,
picked up by
Dr. Mary Redmond,
s o l i c i t o r, in h e r p a p e r " A c c e s s to
P e n s i o n S c h e m e s - T h e N a t i o n al a n d
E u r o p e a n P e r s p e c t i ve f o r A t y p i c al
W o r k e r s " . T h e l a r ge a t t e n d a n ce at t he
c o n f e r e n c e i n c l u d ed b o t h b a r r i s t e rs
a n d s o l i c i t o r s, m e m b e r s of t he
A s s o c i a t i o n, t o g e t h er w i t h v i s i t i ng
l a w y e r s f r o m t he A s s o c i a t i on of
P e n s i o n L a w y e r s in t he U n i t e d
K i n g d o m a n d m e m b e r s of t he
F a m i l y L a w y e r s A s s o c i a t i o n. T h e
F a m i l y L a w y e r s A s s o c i a t i o n 's
i n t e r e st in p e n s i o n s s t e m m e d f r o m t he
F a m i l y L a w A c t 1 9 95 a n d t h e
i n c l u s i on in t h e c o n f e r e n ce
p r o g r a m m e of a p a p e r g i v e n b y
Muriel
Walls
of M c C a n n F i t z G e r a ld o n
" P e n s i o n s a n d D i v o r c e - T h e F a m i l y
L a w y e r ' s F o c u s " .
T h e C h a i r p e r s on of t h e P e n s i o ns
Board,
Eamonn Heffernan,
gave an
o v e r v i e w o n t h e P e n s i o ns A c t 1 9 9 0.
I n t e r e s t i ng p a p e r s w e r e d e l i v e r ed o n
t h e " w h i s t le b l o w i n g " p r o v i s i o ns of
t h e P e n s i o n s A m e n d m e n t Bill 1 9 95
a n d t h e P e n s i o ns A c t 1 9 95 ( U K ) . T h e
f o r m e r p a p e r w a s g i v e n b y
Patrick
254
Hunt,
B L a n d a p a r t n er f r o m S a c k e r &
Partners, London,
Mark Greenlees
g a v e us t h e U K p e r s p e c t i v e. T h e
s e c u r i ty of p e n s i on f u n d a s s e ts w a s
addressed by
Michael Wolfe
of
W i l l i a m F ry w h o s e t o p ic w a s " W h o
G u a r d s t he G u a r d i a n s; C o n t r ol of t h e
A c c o u n t a b i l i ty f o r P e n s i o n F u n d
A s s e t s ".
T h e c h a l l e n ge f o r t h e f u t u r e f o r
l a w y e r s in p e n s i o n s l aw a n d e m p l o y e e
b e n e f i t s g e n e r a l ly w a s g i v e n in a
t h o u g h t - p r o v o k i ng a d d r e ss b y
Brian
Duncan,
F I A , C h i e f E x e c u t i v e, V H I .
T h i s p a p e r e n t i t l ed " T h e E x p a n d i n g
S c o p e of E m p l o y e e B e n e f i ts i n to t he
N e w M i l l e n n i um - a c h a l l e n ge to t he
L e g a l P r o f e s s i o n" p ut d o w n m a n y
m a r k e r s f o r t he f u t u r e e x a m i n a t i on of
t o p i c s f o r t he A s s o c i a t i o n. M r .
D u n c a n a l s o q u e s t i o n ed w h e t h e r a
p e n s i o n s o m b u d s m a n w a s n e e d e d a n d
c h a l l e n g ed t h e l e g al p r o f e s s i on to
i m p r o v e o n t h e ir c o m m u n i c a t i o ns to
c l i e n ts in g e n e r a l.
W e w e r e d e l i g h t ed t h at
Terence
McCrann,
C o u n c il M e m b e r of t he
L a w S o c i e ty of I r e l a nd c h a i r ed t he
m o r n i n g s e s s i on of t he c o n f e r e n c e.
T h e a f t e r n o on s e s s i on w a s c h a i r ed b y
James Nugent,
SC, Chairman of the
B a r C o u n c i l.
W h i l e , o b v i o u s l y, c o n f e r e n c es a r e all
a b o u t l e a r n i ng t h e r e is a l s o a s o c i al
s i de a n d t he G a l a D i n n e r w a s a
m a g n i f i c e nt a f f a i r u n d e r t he e x p e rt
direction of
Aine Ryan,
Catering
M a n a g e r of t he L a w S o c i e t y. W h i l e
p e n s i o n l a w y e rs w o r k h a r d w e a l s o
p l a y h a r d a n d t he " o p t i o n al e x t r a s "
a f t e r t he G a l a D i n n e r w e r e in f a c t
p u r s u e d by a l a r ge n u m b e r of t h e
a t t e n d e es w h o s u b s e q u e n t ly h e a d e d
o f f to t h e u s u al w a t e r i ng h o l e s a r o u n d
St. S t e p h e n ' s G r e e n a n d L e e s o n S t r e et
to f i n i sh o f f i n to t he e a r ly h o u r s of t he
m o r n i n g !
A w o n d e r f ul c o n f e r e n ce a n d a
m a r v e l l o us t r i b u te to t he C o n f e r e n ce
C o m m i t t e e .
Raymonde Kelly,
Chairman,
Association of Pension Lawyers
in Ireland
D