Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 473: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the large number of women who have been disqualified from pension entitlement due to the years spent when they dropped out of work to be a home-carer; his proposals to extend concessions to such persons in terms of additional weight on their earned stamps or through other methods; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10839/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The social welfare pension rights of those who take time out of the workforce for caring duties are protected by the home-makers scheme which was introduced from 1994. From this the scheme allows up to 20 years spent caring for children or incapacitated adults to be disregarded when a person's social insurance record is being averaged for pension purposes. However, the scheme will not of itself qualify a person for a pension. The standard qualifying conditions, which require a person to enter insurance ten years before pension age, have a minimum of 260 paid contributions and achieve a yearly average of at least ten contributions on his or her record from the time he or she enters insurance until he or she reaches pension age, must also be satisfied.

As the Deputy will be aware, the social welfare system comprises two types of pension: contributory pensions based on social insurance contributions and non-contributory pensions, payment of which are subject to a means test. Within that basic structure, the Government is anxious to ensure that as many people as possible can qualify for pensions in their own right.

A number of measures have been introduced over the years which make it easier for people to qualify for contributory pensions. These include the reduction in the yearly average number of contributions required for pension purposes from 20 to ten and the introduction of special half-rate pensions based on pre-1953 insurance contributions. Pro rata pensions are also available to allow people with mixed-rate insurance records to receive a payment. This set of measures is of particular benefit to women who may have less than complete social insurance records due to working in the home.

There are, of course, those who will not benefit from the home-maker's scheme and who cannot qualify for a pension in their own right. In this regard, the Government is committed to increasing the payment for qualified adults — age 66 or over — to the same level as the personal rate of the old age — non-contributory — pension and to facilitate the direct payment of the allowance to spouses and partners.

On the non-contributory pension, in budget 2006 I made changes to the income disregards allowed under the means test. The basic income disregard was increased by €12.40 per week to €20 and I also introduced an earnings disregard of €100 per week. These allowances are doubled in the case of couples and will allow more people to qualify for social welfare pensions.

I will continue to look for ways, within the current social welfare structure, in which the needs of older people who are at present outside the social welfare pensions system may be addressed further.