Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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337. To ask the Minister for Social Protection further to his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 154 of 5 October 2016, if a person (details supplied) qualifies for an invalidity pension following one year in receipt of disability allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30785/16]

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions.

To qualify for IP, claimants must have (inter-alia) at least 260 (5 years) paid PRSI contributions since entering social insurance and 48 contributions paid or credited in the last complete contribution year before the date of their claim. Only PRSI classes A, E or H contributions are reckonable for IP purposes.

The gentleman referred to has been in receipt of disability allowance (DA) since the 03 December 2014 at a reduced rate consequent on means.

According to the Department’s records, the person in question has no PRSI contributions paid or credited between 1998 and 2014. That gap in his PRSI record means that he is not entitled to the award of PRSI credits for the period that he is receiving DA. Therefore he does not satisfy the PRSI conditions for invalidity pension either now or at the time he originally qualified for DA.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.