Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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382. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the supports available to those workers who are currently receiving the State pension but are unable to continue working for a short period of time due to medical reasons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2700/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Recipients of the State Pension Contributory can continue to work with no limit to earnings. Currently, where a person is in receipt of the State Pension Contributory and is in employment, no employee social insurance contributions are payable and either a nil liability, or reduced rate, applies to their employer.

The provision for Illness Benefit is paid only to people below State pension age. This is set out in the legislative provisions of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 governing entitlement to the benefit.

Recipients of State Pension payments may, subject to satisfying eligibility conditions, also have access to a range of additional supports including the living alone allowance, fuel allowance, telephone support allowance, the Household Benefits package and Free Travel.

My Department may also make an additional needs payment to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income. This is administered by this Department’s Community Welfare Service and can be accessed by customers through their local Intreo Office.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.