Vol. 457 No. 4
177 Mr. B. Smith asked the Minister for Social Welfare the plans, if any, he has to introduce a scheme to award PRSI contributions for pension purposes to persons who have given many years of voluntary service at home or abroad; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15448/95]
Presumably the Deputy is referring to the award of credited PRSI contributions in respect of periods spent in voluntary service at home or abroad.
Under existing arrangements, PRSI contributions may be credited to individuals in certain circumstances and under certain prescribed conditions. The most common of these relate to periods of certified incapacity for work due to illness, during which disability benefit may be payable, and periods of proved unemployment, during which unemployment benefit or unemployment assistance may be payable. However, since 1985 volunteer development workers who go abroad to work in Third World countries are provided with social insurance cover on their return by way of credited contributions. Such workers are excepted from the payment of social insurance contributions and are awarded credited contributions for a period of up to five years in respect of their absence abroad. This arrangement applies to volunteer development workers paid at "local" rates of pay in the developing countries and the credited contributions awarded to them on their return are reckonable for all benefits and pensions under the Social Welfare Acts.
