Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection the entitlement to illness benefit in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8709/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The person concerned does not satisfy the qualifying conditions for illness benefit because he has not paid any pay related social insurance contributions (PRSI) at classes A, E, H or P since 1985/86. In order to qualify for illness benefit a claimant must have at least 104 weeks of PRSI contributions (at classes A,E, H or P) paid since he first started work and have at least 39 weeks PRSI contributions paid or credited in the relevant contribution year (a minimum of 13 weeks must be paid contributions). The relevant contribution year is the second last complete contribution year before the year in which the claim is made.

Where for any two complete consecutive contribution years there are no employment contributions paid or credited in respect of an insured person, an employment contribution shall not be credited to such a person until 26 employment contributions have been paid. The person concerned has no reckonable PRSI contributions paid or credited since the 1985/86 contribution year and therefore he has no current entitlement to credited PRSI contributions. If the means of the person concerned are not sufficient to meet his needs or the needs of his household, he may wish to consider applying for supplementary welfare allowance. In this regard, he should contact the Department of Social Protection representative at his local health centre, who will advise him of possible entitlement to this allowance.