Vol. 417 No. 5
426 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason he is not willing to pay even part pension to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 6 who has paid 12 years social welfare contributions and has been disallowed for any benefit; if he will amend the regulations to allow part pensions to be paid to those people who have below 20 contributions on average per year.
To qualify for a retirement or old age (contributory) pension a person must inter alia, have a yearly average of at least 20 contibutions in the case of old age (contributory) pension or 24 contributions in the case of retirement pension registered since January 1953 or entry into insurance if later.
The person concerned applied for retirement pension in May 1991 but failed to satisfy the yearly average condition, having a yearly average of 17 contributions over a 38 year period from 1953 to 1991. She has appealed the decision of the deciding officer and the matter is at present under consideratin in the Social Welfare Appeals Office.
The contribution conditions for entitlement to pensions are being examined by the National Pensions Board in the context of its final report on the future development of pensions. I expect to receive the board's report in the near future. The question of any changes in the present conditions will be considered in the light of the board's report.
