Vol. 469 No. 2
128 Mr. Bree asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a person (details supplied) in County Sligo, who is in receipt of a reduced widow's pension, is entitled to an increase in her pension; if his Department has investigated this particular case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17141/96]
The person concerned is currently in receipt of an EU pro rata widow's contributory pension of £21.80 per week. This is the appropriate rate in her case and it is based on her late husband's combined Irish and British social insurance contributions.
The person concerned asked my Department recently to determine her entitlement to a widow's contributory pension based on her own PRSI contribution record. She has a total of 186 social insurance contributions recorded over the 17 year period from 1951 to 1969 yielding a yearly average of ten. This is insufficient to qualify her for a widow's contributory pension.
Her entitlement to a widow's non-contributory pension is currently being examined. The Department is awaiting details from the person concerned regarding her income from an occupational pension from the Department of Social Security in England. The Department is also awaiting information it has sought from the Valuation Office as to the value of a site which she owns. When this information is provided, her entitlement to a widow's non-contributory pension will be determined without delay.
