2094. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of women receiving the State pension (non-contributory) at the maximum personal rate, 75% to less than 100% of the maximum rate, 50% to less than 75%, 25% to less than 50% and less than 25%, broken down by marital or relationship status; and the number whose payment is below the maximum rate because of their spouse’s, civil partner’s or cohabitant’s assessed means. [63767/26]

2095. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of women of State pension age who applied for the State pension (non-contributory) in each of the past five years and to date in 2026 and who, following the assessment of their spouse’s, civil partner’s or cohabitant’s means, were refused payment and awarded payment at less than the maximum personal rate; the corresponding figures for male applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63766/26]

2096. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of women in each of the past five years who, because of the assessed means of a spouse, civil partner or cohabitant, were refused the State pension (non-contributory) and received no State pension in their own right and awarded a pension below the maximum personal rate; the equivalent figures for men; and the number of related appeals lodged, upheld and rejected. [63765/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 2094, 2095 and 2096 together.

The number of claims for State Pension (Non-Contributory) that were registered and that were rejected for the years 2021 - 2025 and to date in 2026 is shown in the table below. The figures for 2026 are as of the end of July 2026. The Department of Social Protection does not hold statistics on claim decisions by gender or by reason for the claim decisions or by the rate of payment for the claim and so it is not possible to provide the requested breakdowns.

It should be noted that "claims rejected" refers to the total number of claims rejected in the calendar year, and includes claim decisions in respect of claims registered in previous calendar years, as well as those overturned on review or appeal of the initial decision. Furthermore, multiple rejection actions can occur on a single claim, and are included in the figures, therefore care needs to be taken when interpreting the below figures.

Please note that if a person has an underlying entitlement to both State Pension (Contributory) and State Pension (Non-Contributory), they will be awarded the more beneficial rate of payment between the two.

It is not possible to estimate the number of applicants who had no state pension in their own right as a result of a rejected application for State Pension (Non-Contributory). However, it should be noted that the vast majority of those over 66 are beneficiaries of a state pension. As of April 2026, according to estimates from the Central Statistics Office, there were 833,700 people living in Ireland aged 66 or over. As of the end of April 2026, there were 735,200 people who listed their address as Ireland who were aged 66 or over who were recipients or qualified adults for State Pension (Contributory), State Pension (Non-Contributory), Bereaved Partner’s (Contributory) Pension, or Bereaved Partner's Pension (Death Benefit).

The number of appeals registered with the Social Welfare Appeals Office for State pension (non-contributory) for the years 2021 - 2025 and to date in 2026, along with the outcomes for appeals decided in those years are shown in the table below. The figures for 2026 are as of the end of July 2026.

It is important to note that appeals can be made for reasons other than a claim being rejected, such as a reduced rate of payment as a result of a means test or on backdating of a claim. It is not possible to provide separate statistics based on the reason for an appeal. It is also important to note that there is a time lag between requesting an appeal and receiving a decision on an appeal. Therefore claims which were rejected in one year may not receive a decision on an appeal until the following year.

As of 31 July 2026, there were a total of 59,507 women in receipt of State Pension (Non-Contributory). The breakdown by their personal rate of payment and whether they are married, in a civil union, or cohabitating, is provided in the table below.

For the means test for State Pension (Non-Contributory), if the recipient's spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is in insurable employment, €200 is disregarded from their weekly earnings, and the balance is assessed as means. Of the 59,507 women in receipt of payment of State Pension (Non-Contributory), there were 541 whose spouse, civil partner or cohabitant had weekly earnings over €200 and therefore had their spouse's, civil partner's or cohabitant's income assessed as means.