Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Deputy's concern, but we do not assess a person's illness. That is the job of his or her doctor. When someone applies for illness benefit, he or she has received a doctor's certificate. It may be that a person has a number of conditions including physical and mental health elements, but it is whatever the doctor certifies as being the primary illness from which the person suffers that appears on the certificate.

I do not have available statistics on physical versus mental health diagnoses. I will ascertain whether that type of information is available in the Department, but it would not tend to be, as the doctor is the one who describes the condition. A significant number of people with mental health issues are in receipt of social welfare income support.

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