Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

165. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will clarify in relation to periods spent on illness benefit, or on Covid supports, such as the temporary Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme and Covid illness benefit whether such periods count in terms of paid contributions in relation to calculating a person's contributory record for the purposes of the State pension and so on; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11963/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Act 2020, provided, amongst other provisions, for the attribution of social insurance contributions to insured persons who were beneficiaries of certain Covid-19 income support payments.

These payments included the pandemic unemployment payment and the temporary wage subsidy scheme.

The attribution of contributions measure ensured that the social insurance records of the employees or former employees involved have, for the period they were beneficiaries of these payments, social insurance contributions attributed to them at the same value as they were paying while employed immediately before going on the payments concerned.

The measure means that people who lost their jobs or were supported to remain in employment arising from the Covid-19 pandemic were not disadvantaged in accessing social insurance benefits in the future including the State Pension (Contributory).

Persons in receipt of pandemic unemployment payment, temporary wage subsidy scheme, illness benefit or Covid-19 enhanced illness benefit have the continuity of the social insurance record maintained through the attribution of contributions or the awarding of credited contributions.

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.