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Social Welfare Benefits Data

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 July 2019

Tuesday, 23 July 2019

Ceisteanna (2671)

John Brady

Ceist:

2671. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons moved from illness benefit to invalidity pension in each of the past six years. [31739/19]

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Freagraí scríofa

Illness Benefit (IB) is a payment made to insured people who are unable to work due to illness and who satisfy certain pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions.

Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and who satisfy the PRSI contribution conditions.

Where a customer was in receipt of IB prior to 5 January 2009, they can continue to receive payment of IB for as long as they remain incapable of work, up to the age of 66.

For IB claims since 5 January 2009, a customer is entitled to receive payment of IB for a maximum of 624 paid days in any one period of interruption of employment. When these customers have been in receipt of IB for a period of 468 days, they are medically assessed for continued entitlement to IB and possible entitlement to IP. If as a result of this assessment it is considered that they may be entitled to IP, a shortened application form (INV2) is sent to them. On return of the completed form their entitlement to IP is decided.

The number of persons awarded IP who transferred from IB under this process since it was introduced in 2014 is set out in the table below:

YEAR

TOTAL

2014

323

2015

1588

2016

1407

2017

2270

2018

2107

2019 to date.

1022

It is open to recipients of IB to apply directly for IP at any time by sending in an application form (INV1). This can be done either before or after their entitlement to IB payment has exhausted. The department does not retain statistics of the number of persons who have transferred from IB to IP in this way.

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