Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 16: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to conflicting interpretations of the rules governing income from Health Service Executive home help work and eligibility for one parent family payment across different offices in her Department; if she will confirm that income from working for the HSE as a home help must not be taken into account in the means test for one parent family payment. [36251/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Estimate for my Department in 2011 provides for expenditure of over €1.1 billion on the one parent family payment. For the purposes of one parent family payment, there is no entitlement where earnings exceed a threshold of €425 gross per week. Where earnings are less than €425, the first €146.50 is disregarded and half of the balance is assessed as means. The rate of payment is then reduced accordingly. However, where a person has income from employment by the Health Service Executive (HSE), or by a person approved by the HSE, as a home help, all such earnings are disregarded. In order to avoid any misinterpretation of the conditions of income as a home help, the guidelines for the scheme will shortly be updated and all relevant staff informed.

Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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Question 17: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the steps she will take to ensure that recipients of illness benefit are given sufficient notice to allow time for them to apply for either disability allowance or invalidity pension where appropriate and for that application process to be concluded prior to or to coincide with the expiration of their illness benefit. [36260/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Since January 2009 payment of illness benefit is limited to a maximum of 104 weeks (624 pay days) in most cases. There are a number of possible social welfare payments for which a customer may qualify thereafter, depending on their circumstances. Currently, letters are sent to illness benefit customers 13 weeks before their claim is due to expire. The customer is advised about other possible schemes for which they may qualify, including invalidity pension, disability allowance, jobseeker's benefit, jobseeker's allowance and supplementary welfare allowance. Customers are also advised that if they are considering applying for any of the schemes they should do so as soon as possible so that a decision on their application can be made in a timely manner. Furthermore, in order to expedite matters, where a customer has had a recent medical review under the illness benefit scheme this review is used to assess medical suitability for other schemes where possible.