I propose to take Questions Nos. 46 and 73 together.
The Government is committed to ensuring the broadest possible contributory pension cover to as many categories as possible, and recognises that people who leave the workforce to undertake family responsibilities in the home may lose out in maintaining their social insurance record.
For this reason, special arrangements are in place to assist those who work in the home to qualify for an old age contributory pension. From 6 April 1994, periods of time spent out of the workforce, including self employment caring either for children aged up to six years or incapacitated people are ignored or disregarded when calculating a person's pension entitlements.
The Social Welfare Act, 1996, extended the homemaker provisions by increasing the age of children being cared for from six to 12 years.
For any year to be disregarded a homemaker must be out of the workforce for a complete year, 52 weeks, from 6 April 1994. The maximum period which can be disregarded is 20 years.
Provision is also made for the award of credited contributions in the year in which a person commences or ceases to be a homemaker. In addition, earnings of up to £30 per week where a person is engaged in part-time employment outside the home are also permitted.
A total of 3,998 people are formally registered under the homemaker's scheme, comprising mainly people caring for elderly-sick relatives who do not qualify for carer's allowance. Those caring for children would be certified through child benefit records and do not need to formally register for the scheme. Statistics regarding those currently ineligible for the homemaker's scheme are not available.