Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I need to raise with the Taoiseach the length of time it takes to pay enhanced illness benefit, the payment that people switch onto if they are out of work when they have Covid. There are increased levels of Covid and of people being out of work, so there will be increased demand for the payment, one would expect. While some applications will be straightforward, for many others there is considerable delay. For example, if somebody already has a social welfare payment in the household, it creates a situation where there is an overlapping payment if somebody has to go out of work due to Covid and apply, and they can be waiting up to 12 weeks for a payment to come through. Clearly, it is the lowest income households that are being affected, and it is happening at a time when the rising cost of living is also hitting the very same households. Can the payment of these enhanced illness benefits be prioritised, particularly for those on the lowest incomes who are being hit?

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