Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

For people who have insufficient contributions to qualify for a full contributory State pension, there are supports available in the State pension system which assist qualification for a contributory payment based on factors such as the contributions made by their spouses and other factors likely to impact on their needs. One example is the homemaker's scheme.

I was one of the people in the Fianna Fáil-Labour Party Government of the early 1990s who introduced the homemaker's scheme that has been mentioned by the Deputy. Together with the then Minister, Michael Woods, I was responsible for bringing in the system of homemaker's credits to which the Deputy has referred. This system recognises the value of the contribution made by people when they take time out to care for children or elderly relatives. We have also provided for increases for qualified adults and for credits for periods of unemployment. As the Deputy knows, the credits system is now done automatically. In the era about which he spoke, in many cases people did not go for credits. A widow can qualify for the widow's contributory pension on the basis of her PRSI record. People with insufficient contributions may qualify for a non-contributory means-tested pension to ensure they have a pension of a sufficient level.

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