Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 December 2004
34 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will introduce statutory requirements on employers to pay employees who are absent due to illness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33556/04]
View answerThere are no proposals at present to introduce statutory requirements on employers to pay employees who are absent due to illness. There are, however, sick pay provisions in various employment regulation orders of the Labour Court for certain sectors of employment as follows: aerated waters and wholesale bottling, agricultural workers, catering, contract cleaning, hairdressing — Dublin, law clerks, provender milling. and retail grocery and allied trades.
Disability benefit is paid by the Department of Social and Family Affairs to socially insured persons who are unable to work due to illness and who meet the contribution conditions. Disability benefit is not normally paid for the first three days of illness, known as "waiting days", but is payable for up to 52 weeks if the insured person has between 52 and 259 paid contributions; and up until the age of 66 if a person has a total of 260 weeks or more paid contributions since entering employment.
