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

I cannot confirm that. I do not know the status of the means test, in particular with regard to carers. There is an overall review of means testing in general, of which that may be a part. If that is the case, it will not be implemented on 1 January 2024 but I am open to correction on that. There have already been 1,000 applications in the new credits system for the State contributory pension system for carers. We expect that when people become eligible for it we should be able to turn decisions around in a few weeks. People can log their credits in real time online so there does not have to be a trawl back into their history. They will be able to use an online system and enter their credits on an annual basis to help provide the 20-year record.

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