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

The short answer to the Deputy's first question is that I understand that is the case. I will read out some detail on that with regard to the evidence that people can provide to prove those 20 years. If a customer was in receipt of carer's allowance, carer's benefit, the carer's support grant or the domiciliary care allowance, he or she will have met the qualifying conditions for the pension caring support. For long-term carers' contributions, this will also require a duration of care of over 20 years. If a person was not in receipt of carer's allowance, carer's benefit, the carer's support grant or the domiciliary care allowance, he or she will be asked questions regarding the care provided and will be asked to provide supporting documentation to confirm that both he or she and the caree meet the qualifying conditions. Relevant supporting documentation may include medical certificates or documents including birth certificates, marriage certificates if applicable, earnings details and any other information that may be relevant for the purpose of establishing the entitlement. The short answer is, yes, there are other ways of assessing the 20 years beyond the contributions.

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