Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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905. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the case of a person (details supplied) will be reviewed; the reason this person is not receiving full entitlements in pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30901/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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According to the records of my Department, the person concerned has a social insurance record of 650 reckonable paid and credited contributions, from September 1969 to end-December 2017, giving them a yearly average of 15. In arriving at this yearly average, disregards for home-making periods were applied and the person concerned qualified for a reduced rate state pension (contributory). The person was notified in writing of this decision on 11 June 2018.

Earlier this year the Government announced a proposal that will give pensioners affected by the 2012 changes in state pension (contributory) rate bands the option to have their pension entitlement reviewed and entitlement re-examined under an alternative Total Contributions Approach. This proposal also allows for the option to claim for up to 20 years of a new HomeCaring credit. This approach is expected to benefit many people, particularly women, whose work histories include extended period of time outside the paid workplace, while raising families or in a caring role. It will make it easier for pensioners assessed under the yearly average model to qualify for a higher rate of state pension (contributory) by basing the pension decision on the totality of a person’s social insurance contributions as opposed to the timing of those contributions during their working life.

My Department will invite pensioners, who reached pension aged on or after 1 September 2012, to have their pensions reviewed and re-calculated under the alternative method to determine if they qualify for a higher rate of entitlement. Currently work is underway to put the necessary legislative provisions in place to implement these arrangements, as well as the administrative processes and IT systems necessary to undertake these reviews of affected pensioners. Once these elements are in place, the Department will contact pensioners and invite them to participate in the review, with invitations proposed to issue from the end of 2018.

Review applicants will be notified of the outcome of their review and any applicable higher rate of entitlement will be paid to them. Payments are expected to commence from early 2019. Where an increase is awarded, it will be backdated to 30 March 2018.

The person concerned may wish to make an application for a means tested state pension (non-contributory) as depending on the person’s circumstances, they may qualify for a higher rate of entitlement. An application form has issued to the person concerned and their entitlement will be assessed on return of the completed form. The person concerned will be notified in writing of the outcome and will be awarded whichever pension is the more financially beneficial to them.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.