Vol. 525 No. 5
315 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will extend the retirement pension scheme to cover PRSI paid at class S, to allow self-employed people to avail of this scheme at 65 years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25427/00]
Class S contributors are currently covered for old age contributory pension, payable from age of 66, widow's-widower's contributory pension, maternity benefit, adoptive benefit, orphan's contributory allowance and bereavement grants. These contributors are not covered for retirement pension which is payable from the age of 65. One of the conditions for receipt of retirement pension is that a person must be retired from insurable employment or self-employment. The retirement condition ceases to apply from the age of 66.
Any consideration of the extension of cover for retirement pension to class S contributors would have to have regard to the financial implications of such a move, the necessity to adjust class S contribution rates to reflect the increase in cover provided and the administrative implications of applying a retirement condition to the self-employed.
I have no plans to extend cover for retirement pension to class S contributors.
316 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of persons aged over 66 in receipt of widowed person's pension; and the cost of paying them at the same rate of weekly payment as contributory old age pensioners. [25463/00]
The number of recipients, aged 66 or over, of widow's widower's contributory pension on 30 September 2000 was 67,332. The cost of increasing the maximum personal rate payable to recipients of widow's-widower's contributory pension, aged 66 and over, to that of the old age contributory pension would be approximately £23.3 million per annum.
