Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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568. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when an application for a contributory pension by a person (details supplied) will be decided. [11113/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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According to the records of my Department, the person concerned has a total of 679 reckonable contributions/credits recorded for the period from October 1963 to end-2012 inclusive. This is equivalent to a yearly average of 14, which would entitle them to a reduced state pension (contributory). There is a gap in the person’s social insurance record for the tax years 1966/67 to 1967/68 and from 1969/70 to 2002 inclusive. This affects their overall yearly average and, consequently, their rate of weekly pension entitlement.

The person concerned is currently in receipt of state pension (non -contributory) at a higher rate. It is therefore more financially beneficial for them to remain on their current payment. The person concerned was advised accordingly on 5 March 2018. A copy of their social insurance record upon which their state pension (contributory) was calculated was included with that decision letter. If the person concerned considers they have additional contributions or credits that have not been recorded, it is open to them to forward documentary evidence to my Department and their pension entitlement will be reviewed.

Under European Union regulations the insurance records of other member states can be combined to give entitlement to a proportional or pro-rata pension. As the person concerned was also employed in the UK, their Irish and UK contributions can be combined to establish entitlement to a pro-rata pension. The person’s UK record was requested on 29 January 2018. Once this has been received by my Department, their entitlement to a state pension (contributory) EU pro rata will be determined, and the person will be notified of the outcome without delay.

The Deputy will be aware that the Government recently announced proposals that pensioners who qualified for state pension (contributory) since September 2012, and whose rate of entitlement was impacted by the 2012 rate band changes, may apply for a review to have their entitlement considered under a new Total Contribution Approach (TCA). It will take some time to draft and pass the necessary legislation, and then develop the systems and procedures necessary to administer the new pension entitlement option. Accordingly, it is not necessary for any person to contact the Department about their situation. Instead, the Department expects to start issuing invitations to these pensioners from late 2018 to apply for a review under the new pension eligibility arrangements, and to notify any periods spent caring for which HomeCaring credits may be due. Review applicants will be notified of the outcome of their review and any applicable higher rate of entitlement will be paid to them. Such payments are expected to commence from early 2019. Where an increase is awarded, it will be backdated to 30 March 2018.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.