Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Are there plans to allow care credits to also serve as re-entry credits? Will those who may, for example, have accumulated five years of care credits be able to use them to access back-to-educaiton schemes which may have onerous requirements to be met? If one did not work in the two year period prior to becoming a carer, one will not have contributions towards a pension. Will the contributions count and will they be separate from the tenure periods mentioned such as the times in receipt of jobseeker's allowance rather than the time spent providing care?

There is very real concern that a large number of those in receipt of care credits may not always have been providing caring, but they will be affected by the scheme because we know that many were affected by measures such as the marriage bar and the culture surrounding it. They may have left a job on marriage, but it would not be classed as providing caring. In that regard, has consideration been given to how we can ensure those years will be captured, as they are in the case of the homemaker's disregard, perhaps by considering things such as the qualified adult payment? Will those who were relevant persons in the case of the qualified adult payment be considered?