Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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46. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) in County Kildare qualifies for disability allowance or benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2676/16]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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There is no record of an application for disability allowance from the person in question. If the person in question wishes to make an application, she should fully complete and submit an application form (DA1) so that her eligibility may be determined.

If the person in question has submitted an application for DA in the last few days, there is no need to reapply and the Department will be in touch with her in due course.

Illness benefit is a payment for people who cannot work due to illness and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. One of the PRSI conditions is that a person must have a minimum of 39 reckonable contributions paid or credited in the governing contribution year. Claims made in 2016 are governed by the 2014 tax year, and only PRSI Classes A, E, H, and P are reckonable for illness benefit purposes.

It appears, based upon her contribution record, that the person concerned does not satisfy the above contribution criteria as her last paid contribution recorded was in 2006.