The Regulations introduced last year to provide pro rata pensions for persons with a mixture of full rate and modified rate insurance include a requirement that a claimant have at least 260 full-rate contributions paid or credited since 1953. This ensures that the people concerned have a minimum overall level of full-rate insurance in order to qualify for pension.
Prior to 1953 three different types of contributions were payable. These were: national health insurance, widows and orphans pensions and unemployment insurance contributions. These contributions gave specific entitlement only to the benefits of the scheme under which they were paid. There are no proposals to allow such contributions to count towards fulfilling the 260 contributions test.