Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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276. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the entitlement to a contribution based pension in the case of a person (details supplied); her total number of eligible contributions for State pension; the extent to which all of their contributions have been totalled; the different categories of contributions calculable; the entitlement to full or pro-rata pension; their entitlement, if any, to contributions earned outside the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12228/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The person applied for a State Pension (contributory) on 24 January 2020.

To be eligible for state pension (contributory) an individual must have entered insurable employment before attaining the age of 56 years and have at least 520 full-rate contributions.

According to the records of my Department, the person concerned has a total of 236 full-rate contributions. As the person concerned does not have the minimum of 520 full-rate contributions, they do not qualify for the state pension (contributory). They were notified in writing on 16 April 2020.

As the person concerned was employed in the VEC, they were also considered for a mixed insurance pension. To qualify for a mixed insurance pension, 520 employment contributions are required, of which at least 260 must be full-rate contributions with the remainder made up of modified contributions. As the person concerned did not have the required 260 full-rate contributions to qualify, they did not qualify for a mixed insurance pension.

I have arranged for a copy of the person's contribution record to be sent to them. If they consider that additional contributions or credits have not been recorded, it is open to them to forward documentary evidence to my Department and their record will be reviewed.

If the person concerned was employed in another EU Member State, or in a country with which Ireland has a bilateral social security agreement, they should notify my Department and their entitlement to a pro-rata state pension (contributory) based on a combination of their insurance record in another EU Member State, or in a country with which Ireland has a bilateral social security agreement, and their Irish insurance record will be examined.

A state pension (non-contributory) application was received on 17 August 2020. The claim was disallowed as the person's means exceeded the statutory limit. On 27 January 2023, the person concerned requested a review of this claim. Further documentary evidence was requested for the purposes of determining pension entitlement. As the requested information was not provided, the original decision stands. The person concerned was notified on 24 February 2023.

If the person concerned is now in a position to provide documentary evidence which sufficiently reflects their financial situation and which allows a Deciding Officer to assess their weekly means, they should contact my Department and request a review of their state pension (non-contributory) claim. Their claim will be reviewed and they will be notified of the outcome in writing.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.