Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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97. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if his Department will provide a decision timeline for the case of illness benefit for a person (details supplied), an applicant who is under severe financial pressure. [57520/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My department received an application for Illness Benefit from the person concerned on the 14th May 2025. Unfortunately, the person concerned did not qualify for payment of Illness Benefit as she did not satisfy the PRSI conditions.

In order to qualify for Illness Benefit, you must meet conditions related to age and social insurance (PRSI) contributions.

You must have at least 104 class A, E, H or P social insurance (PRSI) contributions paid since first starting work. Only PRSI contributions paid at these classes are reckonable for Illness Benefit.

You must also meet either Condition 1 or Condition 2 below:

Condition 1

You must have 39 weeks of PRSI contributions paid or credited in the relevant tax year, of which 13 must be paid contributions.

If you do not have 13 paid contributions in the relevant tax year, then 13 paid contributions in one of the following tax years can be used instead:

• either of the two tax years before the relevant tax year
• the last complete tax year (before the year in which your claim for Illness Benefit begins)
• the current tax year

• You must have 26 weeks of PRSI contributions paid in the relevant tax year, and 26 weeks of PRSI contributions paid in the tax year immediately before the relevant tax year.
• The relevant tax year is the second-last complete tax year before the year in which your claim for Illness Benefit begins.
• Example: If you make a claim in 2025, the relevant tax year is 2023.