James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 138: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding an application for illness benefit in respect of a persons (details supplied) in County Longford; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33925/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Illness benefit is a short-term income support payment made to insured people who are unable to work due to illness or incapacity and who satisfy certain Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) conditions. The person concerned made a claim to illness benefit from 19 April 2007. At that time, for rehabilitative and/or occupational therapy purposes, customers claiming illness benefit, who had been in receipt of illness benefit for at least six months, could be granted permission to work part-time (not more than 20 hours per week). This permission was known as an exemption, the aim of which was to enable them, subsequently, to return to the workplace on a full-time basis. In February 2008, an exemption was granted to the person concerned to engage in part-time work with her long-time employer.

Approval for an exemption to do part-time work was only provided for a given period. In this case, approval was given for an initial 6 month period. However, that was subsequently extended for two further periods of 6 months each as a result of reviews by Medical Assessors of the Department. In October 2009 when the person's case was again reviewed by a Medical Assessor a further extension to the exemption was not approved as it was the Medical Assessor's opinion that the rehabilitative and occupational therapy benefits of the work had been exhausted. The person concerned requested a review by the Department's Chief Medical Advisor but the outcome was that the Medical Assessor's opinion was upheld.

In line with standard practice in such cases the person concerned was informed by letter on 9 December 2009, and advised that, if she wished to continue to receive payment of illness benefit, she should forward her P45 and related documentation to this Department to confirm that she had ceased work and would not commence any further employment or training without the Department's permission. A reminder was issued on 14 January 2010. This may be the correspondence referred to in the text of the question as having occurred in January 2012. No such correspondence would have been issued in 2012. On 21 January 2010 a letter was received from her stating that she did not wish to relinquish her job. As she no longer satisfied the conditions for receipt of illness benefit, payment was suspended from 2 February 2010. Her claim was closed from 5 May 2010 following her submission of a final certificate of incapacity for work.

The person has not made any further claim for illness benefit since then.