Pro rata pensions based on partial contribution records are already a feature of the social insurance pension system. Under present arrangements a person can qualify for pensions on the basis of a yearly average of ten contributions paid or credited on their social insurance record from 1953, when the unified system of social insurance came into effect, or the date of entry into insurance, if later; they must also have paid at least 260 contributions in total at the appropriate rate; and have entered insurance ten years before reaching pension age.
In recent years, a number of measures have been introduced to make qualification for old age pensions easier for people with reduced or broken insurance records. In 1997, the average yearly number of contributions required for a minimum pension was reduced from 20 contributions to ten. Other measures introduced include pro rata pensions for people with insurance contributions at different rates or contributions from other countries, and special pensions such as the pre-53 payment and the special self employed pension. The concessions introduced are designed to ensure the widest possible coverage for contributory pensions while, at the same time, ensuring that persons qualifying for pensions have had a reasonable attachment to the social insurance fund. Where people fail to qualify for contributory pension on the basis of the present conditions it is open to them to apply for non-contributory means tested pension.
