Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) in County Kildare qualifies for contributory state pension based on Irish and South African contributions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47094/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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To be eligible for a State pension (contributory) at age 66, an applicant must:

- have entered insurable employment before attaining the age of age 56 years

- have at least 520 paid contribution week since entry into insurance, from employment or self-employment

- have a yearly average of 48 paid and/or credited contributions from 1979 to the end of the last complete tax year preceding their 66th birthday, or

- have a yearly average of at least 10 paid and/or credited contributions recorded from 1953 or from their date of entry into insurable employment (whichever is the later) to the end of the tax year preceding their 66th birthday (to qualify for a maximum rate pension, a yearly average of 48 is required).

The person concerned reached pension age in September 2012. A claim form has been sent to him. On receipt of the completed claim form, his entitlement to a State pension (contributory) will be fully examined and he will be notified of the outcome without delay. If an applicant has been insurably employed in Ireland, and also in another EU country or a country with which Ireland has a bilateral social security agreement, legislation provides for an additional comparative examination of their State pension entitlements based on the aggregation of their Irish and foreign social insurance records, and the awarding of the most favourable pension/rate determined. In this case however, it is not possible to take social insurance contributions the person concerned has paid in South Africa into account in assessing his State pension entitlement, as Ireland does not have a bilateral social security agreement with that country.