Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 12:

In page 8, after line 32, to insert the following:

“Report on extending the provision of Disability Allowance to agents in the case of the bereavement of a child

16.The Minister shall review the rule regarding the continuation of Disability Allowance payment where a person is the collecting agent for their child who passes away and prepare a report on extending payment of the payment for six weeks in these circumstances in line with the provision made for payments such as Domiciliary Care Allowance and the report shall be presented to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection within 9 months of the enactment of this Bill.”.

I have raised this case with the Minister previously and she is well aware of it. Tracy McGinnis raised it on the death of her beloved son, Brendan Bjorn, earlier this year. Because he was over 16 and therefore in receipt of disability allowance as opposed to domiciliary care allowance, his payment was automatically stopped on his death. The payment of domiciliary care allowance continues for up to 12 weeks.

There is an error in the amendment. What I asked and indeed the amendment I sent the Minister back in June or July is for those 12 weeks to align disability allowance with domiciliary care allowance. I do not believe this will cost much. It is only for those cases particularly where there is an agent, in this case it was Tracy McGinnis, Brendan's mother, who collected the payment on his behalf. In raising this issue as we approach Christmas, I am also conscious that it will be a really difficult time for Tracy and her family. I ask for this issue to be looked at. When I raised it back in June and July, there was a commitment to look at it. I understand the Department is looking at. This is something really positive we can do so that when a young person aged 16 or over on disability allowance in the care of parent passes away, there would not be that cliff edge there. I do not mind how many weeks it continues for but it should continue on for a number of weeks just to give that recognition and to ensure that there is not a financial cliff edge for a parent when a child passes away. As far as I am concerned it does not matter if they are 16, 17, 18 or 20.

See this speech in context