Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views regarding that fact that social welfare payments are not being made to civil servants who ended a career break in June 2012 as a result of inadequate PRSI contributions being paid on their behalf; and if she will consider a back dated payment of these contributions as being acceptable to rectify the situation. [42610/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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In order to qualify for short-term social insurance benefits, such as jobseeker’s benefit, an individual must have the minimum number of paid PRSI contributions as an employee in the relevant tax year, being the second last complete tax year before the year in which entitlement to benefit is being sought. Where an individual has inadequate or insufficient paid PRSI contributions to meet the conditions of the relevant scheme, there is no provision to allow back dating of contributions to facilitate qualification for social insurance benefits. The individual in question may qualify for an assistance-based payment which takes account of the means of the individual and is dependent on whether the individual satisfies the qualifying conditions for the scheme. In assessing the means of an individual, the means of husband/wife, civil partner or co-habitant will be taken into account in deciding on entitlement to a payment.