Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 29 Jan 1997

Vol. 474 No. 1

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.

Brian Lenihan

Ceist:

159 Mr. Lenihan asked the Minister for Social Welfare the proposals, if any, there are to ensure that a person in receipt of a widow's benefit, who is not entitled to a contributory old age pension, is paid the same rate on attaining the age of 66 as a person in receipt of an old age contributory pension. [2524/97]

Minister for Social Welfare (Proinsias De Rossa)

The qualification conditions for a widow's and a widower's (contributory) pension are less onerous than those pertaining to old age (contributory) pension reflecting the different nature of the contingencies.

To qualify for the old age (contributory) pension, a person must,inter alia, have entered insurance at least ten years before pension age. This condition has been a feature of the scheme since its introduction in 1961. The purpose of the condition is to link entitlement to a pension with a reasonable level of contributions to the social insurance fund during the course of a person's career. A claimant must also satisfy a minimum yearly average condition from the date they first entered insurance.

To qualify for a widow's or widower's (contributory) pension a person may use the full insurance record or the record over the previous three or five years to satisfy the yearly average condition. Also a widow or widower can qualify on his-her own or their late spouse's record.

The more onerous qualification conditions for old age (contributory) pension is reflected in a higher payment for this social insurance scheme.

In relation to widow's-widower's (contributory) pension, last year the rate for this payment for the first time reached the Commission on Social Welfare's recommended main rate and this year the rate has increased to 103 per cent of the Commission's recommended rate.

The weekly rate of dependent child allowance payable with a widow's-widower's (contributory) pension is £17 compared to £15.20 payable with old age (contributory) pension.

The estimated full year cost of increasing the widow's-widower's (contributory) pension personal rate to that of the old age (contributory) pension rate is £23 million per annum and would have to be considered in a budgetary context.