Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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646. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the State pension (contributory) awarded to a person (details supplied) in County Cork will be backdated to when the applicant turned 66 years of age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2865/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The person concerned applied for state pension (contributory) on 27 April 2017. On 18 July 2017, the person's claim was disallowed as, according to my Department's records, the person had not entered insurable employment before reaching 56 years of age and did not have the required 520 contributions.

Through correspondence from the person's accountant, dated 7 August 2017, the person then notified the Department that they had been in a farming partnership with their spouse. Their case was referred to the Department's Scope section to investigate. Following a Scope decision that a retrospective partnership did exist, the person was deemed to be a self-employed contributor and consequently PRSI liabilities for the years from 1988/89 to 2007 were due.

Under social welfare legislation, a self-employed contributor shall not be regarded as satisfying the qualifying conditions for state pension (contributory) unless and until all outstanding self-employment contributions are paid. In this case, the person's outstanding self-employment liabilities were paid in full on 7 March 2018. The person’s state pension (contributory) was then awarded from that date and the person concerned was notified in writing.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.