Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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514. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the compensation or grants available for miners that lose their hearing through their work in the mining industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19553/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Current or former miners who have suffered an occupational injury or prescribed occupational disease are entitled to apply for disablement benefit.

Disablement benefit is one of the benefits payable under the occupational injuries benefit scheme, to an insured person who suffers a loss of physical or mental faculty as a result of an occupational accident or a prescribed occupational disease that was sustained on or after 1 May 1967. The person must have been in insurable (occupational injuries) employment at the time of the accident or when the disease was contracted.

Occupational deafness is a prescribed disease under the occupational injuries scheme.

To qualify the applicant must have been engaged in a prescribed occupation for a period of 10 years and must make a claim not later than 5 years after leaving that employment.

The application form for disablement benefit (OB21) can be downloaded from my Department’s website () or can also be obtained in any of the Department’s Intreo Centres.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.