Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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629. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the fact that those who are working over the age of 66 are not entitled to claim the Covid-19 enhanced illness benefit payment (details supplied); the reason this information is not supplied on the MyGov.ie website; if she will instruct her Department to change this rule; and the way that a person in this situation can proceed to get payment while they are not working due to Covid isolation. [14774/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The dedicated enhanced illness benefit web page states that a claimant must "be under pensionable age on the day for which the benefit is claimed."  Similarly, the standard illness benefit web page states that a person "must be under pensionable age which is currently 66."

Enhanced Illness Benefit was introduced in 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Under the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020 (No. 1), the Government extended the Social Welfare Acts to provide for entitlement to Illness Benefit for persons who have been diagnosed with, or are a probable source of infection with Covid-19. Changes have been made on an ongoing basis in line with public health advice and government guidelines. Enhanced Illness Benefit has been extended until the end of June 2022.  €106 million was spent on the enhanced illness benefit in 2021.

Apart from the above medical condition, eligibility for enhanced Illness Benefit also depends on the person’s age, their social insurance record and their Pay Related Social Insurance Class. 

My Department may make an exceptional needs payment to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income. 

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.