Written answers
Wednesday, 2 July 2025
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Social Welfare Benefits
Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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164. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the first-year and full-year cost of providing a carer’s pension, at 2% contribution of the minimum annual living wage. [36586/25]
Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The State Pension (Contributory) (SPC) is funded from the Social Insurance Fund through the contributions paid by workers. The rate of payment reflects the number of social insurance contributions paid over a working life. Eligibility for SPC is based on a number of criteria:
- Being aged 66 or over.
- Having entered the Social Insurance system 10 years before you intend to drawdown your SPC.
- Having a minimum of 520 paid social insurance contributions (i.e., 10 years reckonable PRSI contributions).
- PRSI credits (which include Credits for Carers Benefit and Carers Allowance).
- Homemaking Disregards and HomeCaring Periods to recognise caring periods of up to 20 years outside of paid employment in the calculation of a payment rate.
Based on a commitment in the previous Programme for Government, the Pensions Commission was asked to consider how people who have provided long-term care for incapacitated dependants can be accommodated within the State Pension system. The Commission engaged in a public consultation process and had the benefit of presentations from Family Carer’s Ireland and the National Women’s Council in forming its recommendations on the proposals and the period of care. The Commission recommended that long-term carers should be given access to SPC and defined long-term caring as caring for more than 20 years. Setting the criteria of more than 20 years is in recognition of the existing access to SPC for carers who may have up to 20 years of caring periods.
Since January 2024, long-term carer's contributions can be awarded to a person who has cared for an incapacitated person for a period of 20 years or more. These contributions are treated the same as paid contributions for State Pension (Contributory) entitlement only and can be used to fill any gaps in a person's contribution record, including satisfying the minimum 520 contributions required for eligibility.
The Department has not costed the introduction of a separate "long-term carer’s pension" as it isn't necessary, because the Long-Term Carers Contribution scheme already provides long-term carers with access to the SPC, including the possibility of a maximum rate.
It is not possible for my Department to provide the specific costing sought by the Deputy as it isn't clear who would make the contributions, the level of income using the minimum living wage on which the contributions would be based, and what would be done with the accumulated funds from such contributions. It's worth noting that the yield from a contribution at the level of 2% of the minimum living wage, even at full employment, would only facilitate an incredibly low-rate of pension payment compared to the existing SPC.
I hope that clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Brian Brennan (Wicklow-Wexford, Fine Gael)
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165. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the current status of the carer's benefit application for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36649/25]
Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Carer's Benefit (CARB) is a payment made to insured people who leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to care for a child or an adult in need of full-time care and attention.
To qualify the carer must satisfy PRSI conditions, employment conditions, show that they are providing full-time care and attention and must show that the care recipient requires full-time care and attention.
As of 7 December 2005, the Carer's Benefit entitlement period increased to 104 weeks per care recipient, up from the previous maximum of 65 weeks.
The person concerned applied for Carer's Benefit on 27 March 2025. The claim was examined, and disallowed as the care recipient was deemed not to require full time care and attention. Additionally, the person concerned had previously availed of Carer's Benefit in respect of this care recipient from 03 January 2002 to 02 April 2003 for a period of 65 weeks.
A review request with further medical information was received on 20 June 2025. As part of the review, the requirement for full time care and attention has been deemed to be satisfied and the person concerned was also deemed to be entitled to their remaining Carer’s Leave entitlement of 39 weeks.
A request for further information issued to the person concerned on 30 June 2025. Once this information is received, the claim will be decided, and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
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