Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

229. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the class or rate of contributions that must be paid by a person seeking an invalidity pension; if voluntary contributions paid by a person are reckonable for invalidity pension purposes; the nature of contributions paid by a person (details supplied) for the past ten years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39278/18]

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

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 a claimant must, inter-alia, have at least 260 (5 years) paid PRSI contributions since entering social insurance and 48 contributions paid or credited in the last or second last complete contribution year before the date of their claim.

Only PRSI classes A, E, H or S contributions are reckonable for IP purposes. Voluntary contributions are not reckonable to qualify for IP.

Over the past ten years the gentleman referred to has paid Class S contributions and, in more recent years, voluntary PRSI contributions.

The Department received a claim for IP for the gentleman concerned on the 7 December 2017. His claim was disallowed on the grounds that the contribution conditions for the scheme were not satisfied. He was notified on the 10th January 2018 of this decision, the reason for it and of his right of review and appeal.

The gentleman referred to requested a review of the decision of 10 January 2018 and following a review of all the information available to the department it was decided that there was no change to the original decision. He subsequently appealed the decision and his appeal was disallowed by the Social Welfare Appeals Office.