Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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388. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if he will ensure that lifetime carers, those caring in excess of 20 years are recognised for a full entitlement to the State contributory pension; the timeframe for implementation of such a change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20840/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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There are a number of criteria which must be satisfied in order to qualify for a State pension contributory, whether at full or reduced level. These include that the person must be aged 66 or over and have at least 520 paid contributions, i.e., a minimum of 10 years. Such PRSI contributions are paid by workers and their employers into the Social Insurance Fund, which funds the State pension (contributory) and other benefits, along with a subvention from the Exchequer when necessary. Provided a person satisfies all the relevant conditions, they may qualify for a State pension (contributory), the minimum personal rate of which is €93.20, and the maximum personal rate of which is €233.30.

There is no fixed amount of paid and/or credited contributions required which will qualify a person for a full-rate State pension (contributory). The total amount of contributions a person will require also depends upon the duration over which they made these contributions, as both of these figures are used to calculate a person’s ‘yearly average’ contributions, upon which their rate of entitlement is based. Since the contributory pension was introduced in 1961, the ‘yearly average’ contributions test has been used in calculating the level of pension entitlement, where the total contributions paid or credited are divided by the number of years of the working life (from their entry into insurable employment up to the year prior to their reaching State pension age).

The State assists those with caring roles to qualify for a State pension (contributory). The homemaker’s scheme makes qualification for State pension (contributory) easier for those who take time out of the workforce for caring duties. The scheme, which was introduced in 1994, allows up to 20 years spent caring for children under 12 years of age or incapacitated people to be disregarded when a person’s social insurance record is being averaged for pension purposes. Given the valuable nature of the State pension (contributory), those who qualify under the homemaker’s scheme still need to fulfil the eligibility requirements for that scheme, and have at least 520 paid contributions over the course of their working lives.

I have no plans to expand the eligibility of the State pension (contributory) to include people who have no paid PRSI contributions. However, the Deputy should note that where people cannot qualify for a full rate contributory pension as a result of an intermittent PRSI record, the social protection system provides alternative methods of supporting such people in old age. For example, if their spouse has a contributory pension, they may qualify for an Increase for a Qualified Adult amounting up to 90% of a full rate pension, which by default is paid directly to them. Alternatively, they may qualify for a means-tested State pension (non-contributory), amounting up to 95% of the maximum contributory pension rate.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.