My Department has received the letter to which the Deputy refers and will be writing directly to the person concerned in relation to its content.
The position is that entitlement to old age contributory pension depends, among other things, on the person's insurance record from the date of entry into insurance to the end of the contribution year immediately before the age of 66 years.
The person concerned received a pension forecast in September 2000. Under the legislation then applicable, her yearly average of contributions would have been based on the 47 years up to the end of March 2001, the end of the last complete contribution year before she reached 66 years. This would have given a yearly average of 15 and a 75% pension. This correspondence indicated that a pension forecast is not a statement of statutory entitlement and that changes in the person's contribution record or in the relevant legislation can affect the forecast.