Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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32. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she is satisfied that it is equitable that persons on the gateway scheme must wait for six waiting days before receiving any payment of illness benefit, given that such persons will be at the loss of their gateway payment for those six days, resulting in a significant net loss of income in cases of illness. [42053/15]

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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33. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the steps she will take to place payments under the gateway scheme within the category of social protection payments to which six waiting days for illness benefit do not apply. [42054/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 32 and 33 together.

Gateway is an initiative with local authorities to provide short-term quality and suitable work opportunities for those who are unemployed for more than 24 months. Local authorities are the employers for all participants on the scheme. As employees, participants are subject to standard income tax, payroll deductions and they pay a Class A PRSI contributions which assists in establishing an entitlement to a full range of short-term benefits, including jobseeker’s benefit, illness benefit, and maternity benefit and to long-term benefits including state pension (contributory).

Gateway provides employees with a maximum of seven days paid leave in respect of certified illness-related absences in any 12 month period and no more than two days uncertified sick leave. If an instance of sick leave extends beyond 6 consecutive days, employees may have an entitlement to Illness Benefit in the same manner as any other employees in the State, with similar PRSI contribution status. Where employees are not covered by an occupational sick pay scheme or illness benefit and they have an income need to cover a period of illness, they may have recourse to supplementary welfare allowance.

Given the nature of Gateway as employment, the same waiting day arrangements (i.e. 6 days) apply as in other insurable employments.