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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 13 Feb 1992

Vol. 415 No. 7

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Pensions Contributions.

Richard Bruton

Question:

246 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether he will amend the regulations providing for pension in cases of mixed insurance to permit persons who had insurance records prior to 1953 to get some credit for those payments in order to satisfy the requirement of 260 full rate insurance contributions.

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.

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