Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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130. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if there is any mechanism that allows a person in receipt of a civil service or local authority pension and also in receipt of a widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner's (contributory) pension who wishes to remarry to maintain their survivor's pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21939/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension is a weekly social insurance payment to those covered by social insurance whose spouse or civil partner has died.

To qualify for the Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension, one must:

- be a widow, widower or surviving civil partner; - not cohabit with another person; and - satisfy certain social insurance conditions.

The pension is paid regardless of other income, including occupational pensions such as those paid by the civil and public service. The Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform has overall responsibility for public sector pensions and any queries relating to those occupational pensions should be directed to that Department.

The Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension remains payable while the recipient remains widowed or a surviving civil partner. If they re-marry or start to cohabit, it is no longer payable.

There are no plans to allow the payment to continue after a recipient re-marries or begins to co-habit with another person. Any decision to extend the qualifying criteria for the Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations, as well as any legal issues that may arise.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.