Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is interesting to look at the history of the averaging system. When pensions initially came in during the 1950s, if there had been a TCA, it would have been impossible for everybody. That continued on and then of course there was another lacuna in the system. There was no self-employed PRSI until 1992 I think. Therefore, if someone had been a farmer or self-employed all his or her life, that person would have had no contributions. Again, it would have been totally unfair to have a TCA system. It could be said that they had not paid, I accept that, but they could not pay. It was not that they would not pay; they could not.

When we get to 2025, it will still be only 33 years since 1992 so somebody who started to pay in 1992 and has paid every year since will not get a full pension on the TCA basis. I know they would on the averaging system. If we get to 2026, 2027 and 2028 there are another seven years left in this where someone could get caught because they were always self-employed. Proportionately their averaging would be down over those seven years. That is question number one. Does the Minister want my two questions together or take one at a time?