Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 March 2014
109. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Social Protection her Department's policy in relation to a recipient of jobseeker's allowance who qualifies for illness benefit and if that recipient is required to submit a new application for jobseeker's allowance when the entitlement to illness benefit elapses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12567/14]
View answerThe social welfare system is primarily a contingency-based system, with entitlement based on defined contingencies, such as sickness, unemployment, old age or widowhood. Primary social welfare legislation provides that only one social welfare payment is payable at any one time. While it can happen that a person may experience more than one contingency at the same time - for example, an unemployed person may become sick - a general principle applies whereby even if a person experiences more than one of the contingencies at any one time, he or she only receives one of those payments. This principle is common to social security systems across the world.
In line with these provisions where a person in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance qualifies for illness benefit their jobseeker’s allowance claim is closed. If, upon expiry of the period in receipt of illness benefit, the person is unemployed he/she may submit a new claim for jobseeker’s allowance.
