Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

Section 5 provides for the implementation of certain provisions of Schedule 6 of the 2005 act relating to changes in the entitlement conditions for the State pension contributory and transition. It will mean in effect that there will be an increase in contributions from the current 260 weeks. Currently a person with an average of 20 to 47 PRSI contributions per year over his or her working life receives a weekly State pension of only €4.50 less than a person with a yearly average of 48 or more PRSI contributions. A lower pension will be paid to new applicants for State pension with a yearly average of less than 48 PRSI contributions which better relates to their PRSI record. The total number of paid contributions needed to qualify for widow's contributory pension and surviving civil partner's contributory pension will increase — correct me if I am wrong — from 156 to 520.