Written answers

Wednesday, 16 January 2013

Department of Social Protection

Homemaker Scheme

Photo of Joanna TuffyJoanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications that have been received before the deadline to register retrospectively for home makers credits; her plans to review the situation and consider allowing further registration for credits for past years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1070/13]

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The homemaker scheme makes qualification for the State pension (contributory) easier for those who take time out of the workforce for caring duties. The scheme was introduced in and took effect from 1994. The scheme allows up to 20 years spent caring for children under 12 years of age or incapacitated adults to be disregarded when a person’s social insurance record is being averaged for pension purposes.

The homemaker disregard 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, pay a minimum of 520 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.

The conditions for this scheme are provided for in secondary legislation each year by way of regulation. This regulation allows for the extension of the time limit for applications. In this regard, Statutory Instrument No. 567 of 2012 was signed by me on 21 December 2012 to extend the registration deadline for applications from people who commenced homemaking duties between 6 April 1994 and 31 December 2012 to 31 December 2013. Therefore, the question regarding the consideration of allowing further registration of retrospective claims and the numbers of applications received before the deadline does not arise.

I have no plans to backdate the homemaker scheme. While my Department will keep this scheme under review, any improvements which could result in further costs for the Exchequer could only be considered in a budgetary context.

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