Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 36: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the progress to date on the introduction of a personal pension entitlement for pensioner spouses currently in receipt of the qualified adult allowance to be set at the level of the full non-contributory pension, as promised in the programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22882/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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In the programme for Government and in Sustaining Progress, the Government is committed to increasing the payment for qualified adults, age 66 years or over, to the same level as the personal rate of the old age non-contributory pension. The current estimated full year cost of this commitment is €44 million.

Considerable progress has already been made in this regard with the qualified adult allowance on the contributory payment now standing at €138.50 or 83% of the maximum rate of old age non-contributory pension, currently €166.00 per week. Overall increases in the qualified adult allowance on the old age contributory pension amount to €56.47 per week since April 2000. Further progress towards increasing rates in line with Government targets will be considered in a budgetary context.