Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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294. To ask the Minister for Social Protection in relation to the internal guidelines used in processing claims, when a note (details supplied) came into use; the purpose of the note in question; the authorisation given for the use of the note in calculating entitlement to State contributory pension; the period over which this note was used as a guideline in determining pension; the approximate number of beneficiaries of the note; the reason and the date on which the note was withdrawn; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27029/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The note the Deputy refers to formed part of a previous State pension contributory (SPC) claim processing guideline for staff, and relates to the assessment procedures for ‘mixed-insurance’ SPC. This pension was introduced in social welfare legislation from November 1991, to cater for applicants who have held full-rate and modified-rate insurable employments. The procedures reflected in the note the Deputy refers to, continue to be applicable, and have not been withdrawn. Scheme guidelines are updated on a periodic basis.

For standard contributory pension, the date of an applicant’s first (full-rate) paid insurance contribution is normally taken as the starting point of their assessment period for pension eligibility purposes. For mixed-insurance contributory pension, if an applicant has paid their first full-rate contribution on or after 6 April 1991, their date of entry into insurance is taken as the date they first commenced paying social insurance, whether at the full or modified rate. Where an applicant has paid their first full-rate contribution prior to 6 April 1991, their date of entry into insurance can, if more favourable for pension eligibility purposes, be taken as the date of payment of their first full-rate contribution, even if preceded by modified-rate contributions.

The overall total number of recipients of (mixed-insurance) SPC at the end of May 2014 was 3,763. It is not possible to determine the exact number of cases where the pre-April 1991 date of entry advantage has been applied.