Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)
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315. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will stipulate the eligibility criteria set down by her Department for persons applying for invalidity pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42052/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Invalidity pension is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and who satisfy the contribution conditions.

A claimant must be regarded as permanently incapable of work, which is defined as incapacity for work of such a nature that the likelihood is that the claimant will be incapable of work for life or an incapacity which has existed for 12 months prior to the date of claim, and where the deciding officer or an appeals officer is satisfied that the claimant is likely to be unable to work for at least 1 year from the date of claim.

All medical assessments for invalidity pension are carried out by the department’s medical assessors who present their medical opinions from the assessment for the guidance of the deciding officers in the scheme areas. Medical assessors carry out desk assessments of medical evidence/reports supplied by doctors/patients in order to provide a medical opinion for the guidance of deciding and appeals officers. In the case of appeals, the opinion of a second medical assessor will be sought on the evidence provided by the claimant and his/her medical practitioner(s). All assessments are carried out in accordance with the accepted guidelines of the Irish Medical Council. Medical assessors are fully qualified and experienced practitioners and must have at least 6 years satisfactory experience in the practice of medicine since registration with the medical council. Many of the medical assessors have specialist post-graduate qualifications and all have received special training in human disability evaluation. The medical assessors have an on-going commitment to continuing medical education to ensure that standards are maintained and enhanced.

In addition to satisfying the medical criteria for eligibility, applicants for invalidity pension must satisfy contribution criteria. To qualify for invalidity pension applicants must have at least:

- 260 (5 years) paid PRSI contributions since entering social insurance

- 48 contributions paid or credited in the last complete tax year before the date of claim

PRSI paid in classes A, E and H count. The last complete tax year is the year before claim.

In addition, where a claimant has no reckonable contributions paid or credited for two consecutive years, that person is not entitled to the payment of invalidity pension until 26 subsequent qualifying contributions have been paid.

A completed application form for invalidity pension must be submitted to the department in order to have eligibility checked and a formal decision made on entitlement.