Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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779. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection whether a diagnosis of myalgia encephalomyelitis would allow a person to access disability allowance. [14584/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability. These include contributory payments based on PRSI contributions, such as Illness Benefit and Invalidity Pension, and non-contributory payments based on a means test, such as Disability Allowance.

Eligibility for these scheme is not dependent on the nature of the illness or disability. Rather, entitlement to these supports is contingent on the extent to which a particular illness or disability impairs or restricts a person’s capacity to work.

Every application for the Department's schemes is individually assessed, in line with the provisions specified in the relevant social welfare legislation. Assessment is based on the medical information provided by healthcare providers and the claimant and taking into account the opinion of the Department’s Medical Assessor. Furthermore, for Disability Allowance the applicant must also satisfy a means test in order to qualify for the payment.

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.