Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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115. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the status of the entitlement of a person (details supplied) under the illness benefit scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3130/16]

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. 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 2015 are governed by the 2013 tax year, and only PRSI Classes A, E, H, and P are reckonable for illness benefit purposes.

The person concerned made a claim to illness benefit and this claim was received in my department on 23 February 2015 . The period of the claim was from 19 February 2015 to 3 April 2015. This claim was disallowed as, at the time the claim was decided, the person concerned did not satisfy the above contribution criteria. The PRSI record of the person concerned for 2013 has since been updated and payment of illness benefit due for the period of the claim has been issued to their bank account on 25 January 2016.