Vol. 437 No. 6
246 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Social Welfare if, in regard to the section of the Final Report of the National Pensions Board dealing with Gaps in Insurance, he will accept Option 3 (9.37) whereby the number of years a person spends caring for children or incapacitated relatives would be disregarded for the purposes of calculating the number of qualifying years required for entitlement to full pension.
247 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will accept the recommendations contained in the Final Report of the National Pensions Board; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 246 and 247 together.
The Final Report of the National Pensions Board was presented to me recently.
This is a comprehensive and complex report which runs to 250 pages and contains 86 conclusions and recommendations.
The report and the recommendations are being studied within my Department and I intend, in due course to bring forward proposals on the issues addressed in the report.
I am examining the question of pension entitlement for women who work in the home and I intend to bring forward proposals to Government on this matter as a matter of priority.
