Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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259. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason not to allow illness benefit to be paid to working persons in receipt of a widow's allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15408/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The social welfare system is designed to respond to a range of contingencies such as illness, unemployment, old age and widowhood.

Within this wide-ranging system a general principle is applied - that only one social welfare payment should be payable at any one time. This serves to maintain the equity of the social welfare system and is a common approach in social security systems across the world.

It is in that context that illness benefit is not payable in addition to a widow’s (and widower’s) contributory pension.