Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 343: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her views on respective justice for women who have reached pension age and find the years they have spent in unpaid care work has not be recognised for pension entitlement, as outlined in the National Women's Council pension policy, launched in May 2008; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45100/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, 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-maker's scheme which was introduced in and took effect from 1994. 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 10 years before pension age, pay a minimum of 260 contributions at the correct rate and achieve a yearly average of at least 10 contributions on their record from the time they enter insurance until they reach pension age, must also be satisfied.

There is also a number of other ways in which pension entitlements can be protected. People who qualify for payments such as carer's allowance or carer's benefit may, subject to conditions, qualify for credited contributions for the period during which they receive the payment. In addition, over the last 10 years the Government has taken a number of measures to make qualification for contributory pension easier and to provide direct payments to more people. These include a reduction in the yearly contribution rate required for a minimum pension from 20 to 10, and the introduction of special measures such as the pre-53 pension. Also, in the case of pensions awarded from September 2006 qualified adult payments are being made direct to the spouse or partner. These measures are of particular benefit to people with less than complete social insurance records and ensure that more people receive a direct pension payment. Other measures are discussed in the Green Paper on Pensions and decisions in relation to them will be made in the context of the framework for future pension policy, which the Government has indicated it will announce in the near future.