Written answers

Tuesday, 16 November 2021

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Social Welfare Eligibility

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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398. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the eligibility for the fuel allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55954/21]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The person concerned must complete an application form for fuel allowance and submit it to the Department in order to have his eligibility checked and a formal decision made on his entitlement to the allowance.

To date no application for fuel allowance has been received from the person concerned. An application form issued to him on 11 November 2021.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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399. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the eligibility for the living alone allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55955/21]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The person concerned must complete an application form for living alone allowance and submit it to the Department in order to have his eligibility checked and a formal decision made on his entitlement to the allowance.

To date no application for living alone allowance has been received from the person concerned. An application form issued to him on 11 November 2021.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Photo of Réada CroninRéada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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400. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her Department will examine the case and the circumstances of a person (details supplied) in relation to the illness benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56009/21]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The person concerned was in receipt of Illness Benefit from the 5th May 2011 to the 29th November 2012, at which point he transferred to Partial Capacity Benefit (PCB). This is a scheme that allows a person to return to work and continue to receive a full or partial payment from the Department. He received PCB from the 30th November 2012 to the 22nd May 2013, at which point his entitlement to Partial Capacity Benefit and Illness Benefit exhausted, as payment is made for two years or 624 payable days. This is the reason his claim closed at that time.

The Department received a more recent application for Illness Benefit from the person concerned on the 26th February 2019. This claim was disallowed as he did not meet the PRSI qualifying conditions for payment.

In order to qualify for Illness Benefit, a person must have 39 PRSI contributions paid or credited in the second last complete tax year from which the claim is made, or they must have 26 reckonable PRSI contributions paid in both the second last complete tax year and the year prior to that. They must also have at least 13 PRSI contributions paid in one of the past 5 years from which the claim was made.

The person concerned did not meet the PRSI conditions necessary for payment of Illness Benefit. It is open for the person concerned to make a more up to date application for Illness Benefit, but it would appear that he still does not meet the PRSI criteria for payment of Illness Benefit.

If the person concerned is permanently incapable of work or will be incapable of work for at least one year, it is open for him to apply for the long term, means tested Disability Allowance scheme.

I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

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