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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 12 Mar 1996

Vol. 462 No. 8

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefit.

John O'Leary

Ceist:

224 Mr. O'Leary asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Kerry cannot have his contributory old age pension calculated over a 17 year period rather that over a 30 year period in view of the fact that he paid no contributions between the years 1961 and 1973. [5638/96]

Under the relevant legislation entitlement to contributory old age pension is calculated from the date a claimant first paid social insurance contributions or from 1953, whichever is the later, up to the end of the last complete contribution year before reaching pension age.

The person concerned became insurably employed in 1961 and his pension entitlement must, therefore, be calculated over the 30 year period from 1961 to 1990. The years between 1961 and 1973, when he has no contributions, cannot be ignored. The records of the Department show that he had a total of 908 reckonable social insurance contributions in the 30-year period, which is equivalent to a yearly average of 30. Based on this average, he currently receives an old age contributory pension at the rate of £68.50 per week. In order to qualify for the maximum rate of £72.80, he would need a yearly average of 48 contributions over that period.
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