Ireland. Pension hike for 1,000 people following major government review
ALMOST 1,000 people have got a pension hike following a major government review of their retirement benefits.
The pensioners’ payments were reassessed to see if an increase was justified following cuts imposed seven years ago.
A full state contributory pension is worth €243.30 a week but many get less than this depending on the contributions they made during their careers.
Under the review, officials from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection applied a new assessment method.
It takes into account time spent away from the workplace to carry out caring duties.
Previously, it was based on the yearly average of their social insurance payments.
Most pensioners will get an increase following the first wave of reviews, which will benefit women in particular.
A total of 1,138 pension reviews were carried out and 86pc of these – 978 pensioners – are getting an increase.
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