Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent Ireland Party)

I will talk about widows' pensions. Pensions for widows do not discriminate by age. Recipients can be in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s or any age. However, it is worrying for people. I will tell one or two stories. One is about a mother with three children whose husband died. They had a house with a mortgage and she is in receipt of the widow's pension for which she said she is grateful. However, if she is on sick leave from work, even though she is a PAYE worker who pays PRSI, she does not get sick pay because she is in receipt of a widow's pension.

A father with two children whose wife passed away due to cancer has one child in secondary school and one in primary school. He worked all his life and continues to work. He is in receipt of the widower's pension. It does not cover the loss of his partner but it helps him and his family to try to survive. If he is out of work tomorrow morning, he will not get a payment from his stamps if he is off long term, because he is in receipt of a widower's pension.

Will the Taoiseach rectify this so that if people who work are off sick and do not work, they receive a payment? All the different criteria from different employers only cover people up to X number of sick days. Some workplaces then require people to claim illness benefit but that is based on PRSI contributions, or stamps, and people cannot be in receipt of two government payments. This needs to be rectified for people who work and get sick because they cannot survive. As I said, they are thankful for what they get to help them to survive. It does not replace their loved ones but it helps them to try to cater for their families. Will the Government look at this? Will it introduce legislation to provide that people can receive widow or widower's payments if they work and are off sick? They should be entitled to their PRSI contributions, which they work to pay and to the widow's or widower's pension. This is what they are asking for. Can this be sorted out to make sure their families can survive? These are only some of the cases that were brought to my attention. Will the Taoiseach look at that?

The Taoiseach: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. He made a number of fair points. When a widow loses her husband or a husband loses his wife, the cost of running a household does not go down. The costs are similar, if not additional in some respects depending on age and so on, with having to look after children if the parents return to work. It creates enormous challenges.

It is also a very lonely journey for quite a period. I will ask the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Calleary, particularly in the context of the next budget, if he could examine the points the Deputy has raised and the various anomalies that potentially exist. The social protection is broad and has many different payments. Some of the policies are interrelated. If we move in one area, there is a ripple effect across the entire social protection system, although the status of the widow is worth considering, apart from the breadth of social protection payments that people receive. Generally, Departments are always worried about making exceptions for one particular category of person in receipt of payments in their systems but the Deputy has raised a number of important issues. I will ask the Minister to engage with the Deputy on this because he may have other examples, particularly on the sick pay argument. I will ask the Minister to pursue this. I will also engage with the Deputy in the context of the budget to see if there are other sensible or practical things we can do to alleviate the pressure and pain people go through in such circumstances.

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