‘I felt annoyed having to go public to get what we were entitled to’

FARMING wives who had their pensions reinstated have thanked those who supported their campaign, saying the issue was never about money but the injustice of their situation.

As the Government finally folded on its decision to cut pensions for hundreds of farming spouses, elderly wives said they were relieved not to have to pay huge sums of money – tens of thousands of euro for some – back to the state.

Margaret Ryan, 71, who shares a 44-acre farm with husband Christopher, 77, in Co Wexford, said the Government had given in because of public pressure.

Ms Ryan, who faced paying back more than €40,000 from payments she received, thanked support groups and those who had highlighted their case.

“We feel delighted. The principle of it alone was to get it back. It’s not all about the money.

“We felt we were entitled to it. It was our money. We had paid our PRSI and taxes. It was sheer injustice to take it off us.

“I felt annoyed having to go so public and making a nuisance of ourselves to get what we were entitled to. I won’t have to pay that money back and we’ll be getting the back-money from January. Imagine having to pay back money when it was already spent.

“We were waiting for the postman every day to come with another letter [from the department] demanding it back.”

Married farming couples were encouraged to sign up to a Government business partnership scheme in 2008, under which spouses were awarded pensions once their full PRSI quotas were paid up.

Many complied, paying PRSI lump sums to the state and were rewarded with retrospective bumper pension payments.

But farming spouses, many in their 70s and 80s, were shocked in January when their €240 weekly payments were withdrawn almost overnight, with the department later claiming there had been an “administrative error”.

It said that spouses who had not paid at least one year’s PRSI prior to the age of 66 had not, in fact, been eligible for pensions.

Up to 268 spouses, mainly women, by last week had been ordered to pay back the money they had collected.

Ms Ryan said public pressure had forced the department to back down.

“I’m happy for everybody who got it. They do need it and in their 70s, they don’t need hassle like this.

“I suppose it was a bit brave but when your back is to the wall, you do a lot of things.”

The payments from the reinstatement of her pension would go on the family garden and a “few bits and pieces”, she said.