This article is from page 59 of the 2007-04-17 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 59 JPG
THE issue of farming pensions was back on the discussion table last week as the IFA called on an all-par- ty agreement on pensions for exclud- ed PRSI contributors ahead of the election. Following the publication of the report and recommendations from the Human Rights Commission on State pension eligibility for eld- erly self-employed people, the farm organisation called for an all-party agreement to implement the recom- mendations of the Commission.
“It has been a clearly unfair system
whereby a group of self-employed people were obliged to make PRSI contributions from 1988 onwards, but were ineligible to draw down a pension if they were aged 56 or over when compulsory social insurance was extended to the self-employed,” said IFA President, Padriag Walshe.
“While a limited concession was introduced in 1999 when people with over five years’ contributions were eranted a half pension, the remain- ing group have been excluded.”
“T strongly welcome the recommen- dation of the Human Rights Com- mission that a pension at a reduced
rate should be paid to those elderly people who contributed PRSI on the expectation of receiving a pension but were denied by reason only of their advanced age.
“Farmers make up the single larg- est group of self-employed, and IFA has highlighted this anomaly in eve- ry pre-budget submission in recent years. We have sought a 75 per cent pension for those in the 56-61 age bracket in 1988, and a 50 per cent pension for those aged 61—66 at that nnealee
“Bearing in mind that the group who have received no pension to-
date despite paying PRSI are now 80 years of age or over, I expect that both the Government and the oppo- sition parties will come out quickly in support of the recommendations of the Human Rights Commission to pay a pension at a reduced rate; also I propose that the pension be back- dated at least to 1999 when the half pension was introduced for some of the over 56 category”.
“The Commission’s report 1s very thorough, and a particular acknowl- edgment must go to the elderly Don- egal couple who brought the issue to the Commission.”