Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 July 2022
389. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) is entitled to a contributory or non-contributory pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35460/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned reached pension age on 15 January 2020.
An application for the State Pension (non-contributory) pension was received in July 2019. The application was disallowed as their means exceeded the statutory limit. The decision was appealed by the person concerned and upheld by the Appeals office in May 2020. A further application was received in May 2022. This application was disallowed as their means continue to exceed the statutory limit. The person concerned was notified of this decision in writing.
According to the records of my Department an application for the State Pension (contributory) pension was not received.
Under current eligibility conditions, an individual must have at least 520 full-rate paid contributions in order to qualify for a standard contributory pension. As the person concerned was employed in the public sector, they can also be considered for a mixed insurance pension. To qualify for a mixed insurance pension, 520 employment contributions are required, of which at least 260 must be full-rate employment contributions with the remainder made up of modified contributions. The records of my Department show that the person concerned has 145 full-rate paid contributions which falls short of the required full-rate contributions for the standard and mixed insurance pensions.
I have arranged for a copy of the person’s social insurance contribution record to issue to them, together with an application form for a State Pension (contributory) pension.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
