Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 February 2018
297. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if in the determination of an application for a State pension by a person (details supplied) their entire working life was accounted for; if the application can be reviewed in view of these issues; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7816/18]
View answerTo qualify for a contributory state pension a person must have at least 520 full rate paid contributions. According to the records of my Department, the person concerned has a social insurance record of 412 reckonable contributions which is insufficient to qualify for the contributory pension. They have no recorded contributions for the tax years from 1975 to end December 2016 inclusive. The person was notified in writing of this decision on 12 June 2017. Attached to that letter was a copy of their contribution record, as held by my Department, upon which their entitlement was calculated.
If the person concerned considers they have additional contributions that have not been recorded, it is open to them to forward documentary evidence of the missing periods of employment to my Department and their pension entitlement will be reviewed.
The Deputy will be aware that the Government recently announced proposals that pensioners who qualified for contributory state pension since September 2012, and whose rate of entitlement was impacted by the 2012 rate band changes, may apply for a review to have their entitlement considered under a new total contribution approach, TCA. However, as the person concerned does not satisfy the minimum qualifying condition for contributory state pension, they will not be affected by this proposal.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
