Tom Barry (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 20: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide the annual cost of illness benefit in the public sector and in the private sector, respectively. [34336/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Illness benefit is a non-means-tested social insurance payment. It is payable to people who are unable to work owing to illness, satisfy the relevant contribution conditions, are certified as unfit for work by a medical practitioner and aged under 66 years. It is not payable for the first three days of an illness. That cost is borne by the employee, except where there is a work scheme. The benefit is payable for a maximum of two years or 104 weeks in respect of new claims made from January 2009. During the period 2008 to 2011, inclusive, total expenditure on illness benefit was €3.6 billion and an estimated €846.5 million has been provided for in 2012.

A total of 150,154 illness benefit claims were processed in the first six months of 2012. To process such a large volume of claims expeditiously the Department prioritises the capture and maintenance of critical customer and claim records such as customer biographical data, information on pay-related social insurance, PRSI, contributions made, information on dependants, payment method and certified incapacity data. The Department does not, however, maintain data on the sector of economy of illness benefit claims. As a result, it is not possible to distinguish between claimants working in different sectors of the economy, including the public sector. However, my Department is undertaking research to arrive at an estimate of illness benefit costs in the public and private sectors, respectively.

Deputies will appreciate that a given claim is supported by a certified medical practitioner. It is based on a person's personal public service, PPS, number and the system is geared to capture the contribution record of an individual to determine whether he or she qualifies for illness benefit and then to pay him or her.