John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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240. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the reason illness benefit and exceptional needs payments were not approved for a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; if these will now be approved. [38065/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Illness benefit is a payment for people who cannot work due to illness and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. The PRSI conditions are that a person must have a minimum of 39 reckonable contributions paid or credited in the tax year governing the claim. Claims made in 2015 are governed by the 2013 tax year, and only classes A, E, H, and P contributions are reckonable for illness benefit purposes.

An application for illness benefit was made from 26 Aug 2015. According to the records of the department the person concerned has no contributions paid or credited in 2013 therefore illness benefit could not be paid.

The person concerned made an application for a basic supplementary welfare allowance in September 2015. This was refused on the grounds that the household income was in excess of basic supplementary welfare allowance guidelines.