Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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163. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied) who was diagnosed with a very serious illness and was admitted to hospital on 5 February and discharged on 12 April and was not paid their jobseeker's allowance if she will have their payments reinstated. [23472/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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One of the conditions to receive a jobseeker's payment is that an individual must be capable of, available for and genuinely seeking work. That is, a person must be available for work in respect of each day for which s/he declares that s/he is unemployed.

In this case, the person’s claim was stopped when he entered hospital as it was decided he was not capable of, available for and genuinely seeking work. While in hospital, the person received an exceptional needs payment of €100 to meet the cost of personal necessities and arrangements were made to continue the payment of his rent supplement payment. The person is currently receiving a weekly supplementary welfare allowance payment while awaiting the outcome of an illness benefit claim.