John Clendennen (Offaly, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

132. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the options that may be available to a person (details supplied) to rectify an historical recording error regarding an alleged period of missed contributions towards social insurance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34797/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

A person’s PRSI contribution record is of vital importance for determining current and future entitlement to Social Welfare Benefits, these records are maintained by the Client Eligibility Section of my department. If an individual believes any information on their PRSI contribution record is incorrect or incomplete, they must report this matter to the Client Eligibility Section who will complete a thorough investigation to make a determination which may include amending an individual’s PRSI record.

With regard to the PRSI contribution record for the individual mentioned the Client Eligibility Section were contacted by the State Pensions Contributory Section in Sligo on the 6th February 2025 regarding a gap in her social insurance record for periods where the individual had indicated on her pension application form that she had been working.

To date the Client Eligibility Section has completed various checks of the contribution records held on our system and requested the Revenue Commissioners complete searches of their systems also; as a result of these searches one of the missing years has been located and updated to the individual’s PRSI contribution record. The Client Eligibility Section has also been in contact with the customer by phone and by letter requesting additional information to assist us in tracing any other PRSI contribution records or files for her.

A reply from the customer was received on the 31st March which included a completed questionnaire regarding her work history during the period under investigation, this questionnaire has been examined but unfortunately we have not been able to identify any additional contributions based on its contents.

The details of the questionnaire have now been forwarded to a Social Welfare Inspector who will in turn interview the individual, who will be asked further questions regarding her work history during the periods in question to determine if further evidence of insurable work can be ascertained; once that interview has occurred the inspector will forward a report with recommendations to the Client Eligibility Section for consideration. We do not currently have a timeframe for when we can expect to receive a completed Social Welfare Inspector's report. However, once received it will be actioned immediately and the customer will be informed of the outcome.