The primary purpose of credited employment contributions is to preserve the continuity of a person’s insurance record during periods when they are unable to work and pay social insurance in the normal way. In order to qualify for credited employment contributions, absences from work would have to arise due to notified incapacity for work, proven unemployment, or periods during which the person was in receipt of certain other social welfare payments.
The community employment scheme is designed to assist people who are long-term unemployed or otherwise disadvantaged to get back to work by offering part-time and temporary employment placements in the community. Community employment is not a social welfare payment. Participants pay social insurance at PRSI class A8 or A9 depending on the weekly income level and such contributions are reckonable for all benefits under the social insurance system.
Credited employment contributions are awarded to an insured person in receipt of the one-parent family payment who, immediately prior to qualifying for the payment, was entitled to be credited with employment contributions and was in receipt of certain social welfare payments. These payments include maternity, health and safety, occupational injury benefit, adoptive or paternity benefits; carer's benefit or allowance; invalidity pension or disability allowance; pre-retirement allowance; jobseeker's benefit or allowance or illness benefit.
As the person concerned was not in receipt of one of these social welfare payments prior to being in receipt of the one-parent family payment, credited employment contributions were not awarded.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
