Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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302. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he is aware of delays being experienced by former An Post employees in their applications for pensions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51087/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The State Pension (Contributory) is funded by the contributions paid into the Social Insurance Fund. In general, a person will qualify for State Pension (Contributory) if they are aged 66 or over and have between 520 and 2080, or more, reckonable contributions (of which 520 must be full-rate social insurance (PRSI) contributions). There are no issues or delays relating to An Post employees who meet the qualifying conditions with respect to the State Pension (Contributory).

Contributions paid at Classes B, C or D, i.e., those made by public servants recruited before 6 April 1995 are known as modified or reduced rate contributions and are not qualifying contributions for the State Pension (Contributory).

This is because such contributors pay less in social insurance contributions in return for fewer social insurance benefits. For example, Class D contributors currently pay a contribution at the rate of 1% on their weekly earnings up to €1,443 and 4.1% on weekly earnings over that amount, and their employers pay a contribution of 2.45% on all employee earnings.

In contrast, Class A contributors pay a contribution of 4.1% on their weekly earnings and their employers pay a contribution of 8.9% where employees' weekly earnings are €527 or less and 11.15% where their employees' weekly earnings exceed €527. Class A contributors have access to the full range of social insurance benefits.

Given social insurance contributions are paid over the working lifetime of a person during which time they may have had multiple, and in some cases overlapping, employments, or may have been awarded credited or attributed contributions, or paid for voluntary contributions it would be extremely difficult to associate entitlement to a benefit with employment with a particular employer; nor is this information required to assess eligibility to a pension. The Department does not therefore categorise or record applications for the State pension by prior employer name.

Matters relating to applications for civil and public sector pension schemes are the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation and questions relating to An Post employees in respect of these schemes should be directed to that Department.