asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he is aware that an insured person who retires from insurable employment on reaching the retirement age applicable to his particular employment is obliged, in order to preserve the right of his wife, should she survive him, to a widow's contributory pension, to continue the payment of contributions as a voluntary contributor; whether he is aware that in most of these cases the insured person is entitled either to a very small pension or to no pension at all; whether it is unlikely in such cases that the insured person can afford to continue the payment of contributions at the voluntary contributors' rates; and whether he is prepared to introduce legislation to exempt from the payment of contributions an insured person who has retired from insurable employment on the completion of 20 years in insurable employment.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Voluntary Insurance Contributions.
Contributions under the National Health Insurance and Widows' and Orphans' Pensions Acts are not payable after age 70. A person who is insured at that age remains insured thereafter until death without further payment of contributions. A person who ceases to be insurably employed and to pay contributions before that age does not go out of insurance immediately. He remains an insured person for at least 12 months and this period is extended by periods of incapacity. If, therefore, a person retires from employment before age 70 through ill-health his insurance is maintained without contributions as long as his incapacity lasts. If his retirement takes place before age 69 and he is not incapacitated from work, then in order to maintain his title to benefit he must continue to pay contributions as a voluntary contributor.
I cannot accept the proposition that in general the means of such persons are such that they cannot afford to continue payment as voluntary contributors for the limited period involved. The extra contribution required is only 8d. per week, and contributions are excused for weeks of sickness. In these circumstances there are no adequate grounds for any amending legislation.