Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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6. To ask the Minister for Social Protection to investigate the contribution paid by the Health Service Executive for a person (details supplied). [4711/16]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Persons employed by the Health Service Executive in a permanent and pensionable capacity prior to 6 April 1995 are insured at the modified rate of contributions, PRSI class D. The person referred to by the Deputy has been paying class D contributions with the HSE since 1990. I have no information which suggests that she was paying the wrong class of PRSI.

While class D contributors are not entitled to a State pension, they are entitled to a public sector pension from their employer. Class D contributions do not entitle a person to a State pension because the contributions are significantly less than for workers in the private sector who pay class A. The employer contribution for a class A contributor is up 10.75 percent. For a class D contributor the employer contribution is 2.35 percent.

PRSI contributions are paid into the Social Insurance Fund which is used to fund the various schemes administered by the Department.

The social welfare payments that may be covered by class D contributions, subject to the particular qualifying conditions for each scheme being met, include carer’s benefit, occupational injury benefit, guardian’s payment, and the contributory widow’s, widower’s or surviving civil partner’s pension.