Paula Butterly (Louth, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State. In fact, I welcome the widening of the eligibility in regard to who does and does not qualify for a widow's pension. That, in itself, was an anomaly that was highlighted through a campaign in the press due to that widower. Let us reflect for a moment on the fact that, as the Minister of State said, if somebody is in receipt of a reduced widow's pension, they may also be entitled to a reduced illness benefit so that the combined sum reaches the maximum rate of illness benefit they would otherwise be entitled to. That, in itself, is not sufficient. It does not address the fact that due to tragic circumstances, be it illness or whatever, a household often goes from earning two incomes to earning only one. Very often in those circumstances, even though the widow's or widower's pension is welcome, it does not sufficiently fill the gap that was not there when there were two household incomes. We need to fill that gap because if we are giving half of one and half of the other, we are still back to square one. I see no reason why, if somebody is back at work making their PRSI contributions, they are not entitled to the illness benefit. I am delighted to hear that the Minister, Deputy Calleary, will look into this and review it. I firmly hope he will address and resolve it.

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