The Irish Farmers’ Association’s campaign to have the State Contributory Pension restored to 268 farmwomen whose pensions were stopped without warning was backed unanimously today by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social and Family Affairs.
The average age of the women is 72, but some are in their 80s.
According to the IFA, the women have been without a pension for 14 weeks; and some have been dependent on savings or the charity of family and friends.
IFA President John Bryan told the Committee that ‘the decision to deprive farmwomen of a pension is a heartless move against a hidden workforce who had finally gained some recognition for decades of work on the farm.’
The women concerned had been receiving their pensions but were then told that they were not entitled to them and were asked to repay what they had already received.
The women concerned come under a 2008 agreement between the IFA and the Department of Social Protection (formerly the Department of Social and Family Affairs).
Under the agreement, farm spouses could apply to establish self-employed farm business partnerships and retrospectively pay all necessary PRSI contributions to entitle them to a State Contributory Pension.
The IFA say that the average PRSI back-payment was €3,300 per farm spouse. Typically, this money was borrowed on the basis of getting the Contributory State Pension.
An estimated €900,000 has been paid back to the State in back-dated PRSI contributions. The additional liability to the State is estimated at less than €570,000 per annum to honour the agreement with IFA by paying the Contributory State Pension to the 268 farmwomen.
Under the agreement, 510 women were granted business partnership status and pensions, but 268 pensions were later disallowed by Ministerial decision.
The Social Affairs Committee decided unanimously to write to the Minister for Social Protection, Éamon Ó Cuív, asking him to rescind his Department's decision and reinstate the pension for the 268 farmwomen and if legislation is necessary to use the Social Welfare Bill.
