Written answers

Tuesday, 31 March 2015

Department of Social Protection

Home-makers Scheme

Photo of Michael McGrathMichael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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192. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if persons who are caring for children with a disability, in cases where the domiciliary care allowance payment is being received but where they do not qualify for carer's allowance because of the means test, are entitled to credited contributions in order to keep their pay-related social insurance record up to date during the period for which they are caring for the child; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12689/15]

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Domiciliary care allowance is not a primary payment and as such credited contributions are not awarded in connection with this allowance. However, persons caring for children under 12 years or incapacitated children over 12 years of age can avail of the homemakers scheme for the purpose of maintaining entitlement to state pension (contributory).

The homemakers scheme provides that contribution years spent working in the home while caring on a full-time basis for a child up to 12 years of age or an incapacitated person age 12 or over will be disregarded when calculating a person's yearly average number of contributions for pension purposes. A maximum of 20 homemaking years may be disregarded.

Further details on the homemakers scheme are available on .

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