Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Cost-of-Living Payment announced in Budget 2024 is payable to a person who is a carer under Section 224(1) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act, 2005 and who on 27 November 2023 is still providing care to a relevant person under Section 224(1) of the Principal Act.

To qualify for the Cost-of-Living Payment, a carer must:

• Have received or be eligible for the Carer’s Support Grant for 2023;
  
  and
• Be providing full-time care and attention to a relevant person on week commencing 27 November 2023 and satisfy the qualifying conditions for receipt of Carer’s Support Grant (see below).

• Be aged 16 or over and ordinarily resident in this State;
• Care for the person on a full-time basis;
• Care for the person for a continuous period of at least six months – this period must include the first Thursday in June (1^stJune 2023);
• Live with the person being looked after, or this person can be contacted quickly by a direct system of communication (i.e., a telephone or alarm);
• Not be employed/self-employed for more than 18.5 hours per week;
• Not be in receipt of, or entitled to receive Jobseeker’s Allowance or Jobseeker’s Benefit or be signing for credited contributions.

• Be so incapacitated as to need full-time care and attention;
• Not normally live in a hospital, convalescent home, or another similar institution;
• Not receive full-time care and attention within their own home from another person other than the person claiming the Grant.

Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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462. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will review the case of a person (details supplied) who has been in receipt of illness benefit payment but has been deemed ineligible for the €100 cost of living lump sum payment per child; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54557/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Illness Benefit is a payment for those who cannot work due to illness and who satisfy the pay-related social insurance contribution conditions. Illness Benefit is paid for a maximum of two years and is classified as a short-term scheme.

Only customers in receipt of illness benefit for at least one year and that are also receiving an increase for a child are entitled to the €100 per child cost of living lump sum payments.

The person concerned has been in receipt of illness benefit from January 2023 and as such does not qualify for the bonus payments.

I hope this clarifies the position for the deputy.