Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

This Government acknowledges the important role that carers play and is fully committed to supporting them in that role. Accordingly, the current State contributory pension system provides measures including PRSI credits, home-making disregards and the home caring periods to recognise caring periods of up to 20 years outside of paid employment in the calculation of a payment rate.

Last September, the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, announced a series of landmark reforms to the State pension system. The measures are in response to the Pensions Commission's recommendations and represent the biggest ever structural reform of the State pension system.

One of the key pension reform measures announced is the introduction of enhanced State pension provision for people who have been caring for incapacitated dependants for 20 years or more. It will do this by attributing the equivalent of paid contributions to these long-term carers to cover gaps in their contribution record for the periods that they were caring for an incapacitated dependent.

The measure will be available to individuals who reach State pension age from 1 January 2024 and will also be available to people currently over pension age. They will be able to apply for these contributions and receive a State contributory or enhanced pension from 1 January 2024 where eligible.

In September, my Department launched an online system for people to register for long-term caring contributions. This will facilitate the expeditious processing of these contributions upon enactment of the legislation. The Minister, Deputy Humphreys introduced the legislation to give effect to these measures in the Dáil last month and I expect the legislation to be enacted by the end of the year.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

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