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 drawdown of SPC, and
• Having a minimum of 520 paid social insurance contributions (i.e., 10 years reckonable PRSI contributions).

This Government acknowledges the important role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting them in that role. Once a person has met the minimum requirement of 520 paid contributions, the State Pension system gives significant recognition to those whose work history includes extended periods outside of paid employment, often to raise families or in a full-time caring role including:

• 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.

Despite these measures, some long-term carers of incapacitated dependants faced barriers in accessing the SPC. They may, for example, have difficulty establishing the minimum number of 10 years paid contributions.

As part of its work, the Commission on Pensions, which was established in November 2020, examined how people who have provided long-term care for incapacitated dependants, the majority of whom are women, could be accommodated within the State Pension system in recognition of the enormous value of the work carried out by them.

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.

There are no limits on the amount of long-term carer's contributions that a person may avail of, allowing those who have cared for most of their adult life to qualify for the pension at the maximum rate of pay if they have a combined 40 years worth of paid contributions and/or long-term carer's contributions.

Where a person reaches State Pension age and does not satisfy the conditions to qualify for State Pension (Contributory) or qualifies for less than the maximum rate, they may instead qualify for one of the following:

• The State Pension (Non-Contributory) which is a means-tested payment (based on their share of household means) with a maximum payment of above 96% of the State Pension (Contributory); or
• An increase for a qualified adult (IQA) (based on their own means), amounting up to 90% of a full rate State Pension (Contributory) where their spouse has a contributory pension; or
• Where their spouse/civil partner is deceased, a widow's/widower's/civil partner's contributory pension, which they may claim either based on their spouse's or their own social insurance record. The qualifying conditions for this require fewer contributions paid (260) than the SPC for the maximum personal rate for those aged 66 or over.

This combination of all of the above measures ensures that no person with a viable income need falls outside these schemes.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.