David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I do not want to delay the debate on this issue because that are other important sections with which we need to deal. It is important to put on the record that I do not accept or consider it good enough for Senators or the Minister to point to the supplementary welfare allowance or the urgent needs payments as an alternative. That creates needless more bureaucracy for those involved. Either one is entitled to illness benefit or one is not. The Minister is saying that for six days a person will not be entitled to it but it is disingenuous to the people concerned to say that they can go here or there and get the money. The last thing a person who is sick needs to be told is that they have to work their way through the maze of the social welfare system. They should be able to get illness benefit. That is for what they pay their PRSI. It is not acceptable excuse. It is not that I was ignoring any of the Senators, I just do not accept it as a reason to cut benefit. That is what this is - a crude, cross-cutting measure.