Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I confirmed the commencement date for the revised arrangements would apply to new applicants from September 2007. It is not proposed at this point to include existing recipients, although I would like to do so. The Department informed me it could take some time to do that. We will commence with new applicants and I hope in time policy will develop so we can extend this facility to existing recipients also. I am pursuing the important policy objective that payments would be made to people in their own right.

The question of pensions cover for women who left employment as a result of the marriage bar has arisen on many occasions in recent years. The case is often made that they were penalised at the time they left their employment and they are being further penalised for the fact they have no pension rights. At the time, the women in question were paid a marriage gratuity and the Department of Finance has confirmed that this was considered a payment in lieu of pension rights. That is the legal position.

In general, the social insurance class paid by those affected by the marriage bar was a modified rate which now gives coverage for widows' and guardians' payments, occupational injury benefit, bereavement grant and carer's benefit only. This class of insurance reflected their occupational pension position and general contract of service at the time. Accordingly, even if the women concerned had continued in employment, contributions made at this class would not have entitled them to a contributory pension under the social welfare scheme.

In the social welfare context, the arguments in this area have focused on the question of backdating the homemaker's scheme which was introduced in 1994 and which, in line with practice in regard to new schemes and changes in insurability, operate from a current date. The issue of homemakers is being examined in the context of the Green Paper on pensions to which I referred earlier. It should be finalised by the end of this month.

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