Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 June 2024
456. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection further to a previous Parliamentary Question regarding the pension entitlements of a person (details supplied) if particular details were considered. [24971/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned applied for State Pension (contributory) on 26 July 2022.
The person concerned has a total of 1027 reckonable contributions and 77 credits from their date of entry into insurable employment in 1973 to 2022 which equates to a yearly average of 23 contributions. This gave entitlement to a reduced State Pension (contributory) of €236.10, which is approximately 85% of the maximum rate. A yearly average of 48 contributions is required to receive the maximum rate State Pension (contributory). According to the records of my department the person concerned has one contribution paid as a farm labourer in 1973. My department does not hold information on the employers at this time. If the person concerned was not employed at this time, it is open to them to provide information to my Department.
Credited contributions (credits) are social insurance contributions designed to protect the social insurance entitlement record of insured workers who are not in a position to make PRSI contributions and are awarded in circumstances such as proven unemployment or illness. To qualify for credits, a person must first have entered insurable employment - he or she must have paid at least one PRSI contribution at Class A, B, C, D, E, H or P. In general credits can only be awarded where an individual has had a recent attachment to the workforce, i.e. within the last 2 years.
The person concerned was in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance from August 2013 to August 2016. There was no entitlement to credited contributions for this period as the person concerned did not have an attachment to workforce in the previous two years.
4 credited contributions were awarded for the period the person concerned received Jobseekers Allowance from August to September 2017. The person concerned received the maximum credits/contributions in 2017, 48 paid contributions and 4 credits.
There is no entitlement to credited contributions for the Disablement Gratuity scheme which was paid to the person concerned from May 1995 to October 1997.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
