Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 April 2026
773. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection if the payment of statutory sick pay will impact on those receiving the bereaved partner's (contributory) pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29980/26]
View answerThe Bereaved Partner's (Contributory) Pension (BCP) is a weekly payment to the widow, widower, surviving civil partner or surviving qualified cohabitant of a deceased person (Bereaved Partner), who satisfies the PRSI requirements for the payment. The pension remains payable unless the person cohabits with another person or marries. The payment is not means tested. As a result, a person can be in receipt of a Bereaved Partner's (Contributory) Pension and earn income from employment or self-employment without their rate of payment being affected.
Statutory sick pay refers to the legal minimum payment that employees are entitled to from their employer, where medically certified as unfit to work. Since January 2024, workers have a right to five days’ sick pay per year. This is paid by their employer at 70% of normal pay, up to a maximum of €110 a day. As Bereaved Partner's (Contributory) Pension is not means tested, any income received from an employer, including sick pay, has no bearing on a person's entitlement to the payment, or the rate of payment awarded. Therefore, any statutory sick pay received by a person will not affect the rate of pay for the Bereaved Partner's (Contributory) Pension.
Separately, Illness Benefit is a weekly payment, administered by my Department, for people who are medically certified as unfit to work and satisfy certain PRSI contribution conditions. It is not payable at the same time as statutory sick pay.
There is a general principle of one person, one payment that applies across our social welfare system. Given the contingency-based nature of this system, it can happen that a person may experience more than one contingency at the same time, but generally they can receive only one payment. This principle is common to social security systems across the world.
Therefore, a person in receipt of the Bereaved Partner's (Contributory) Pension is not eligible for payments under the Illness Benefit scheme should their absence from employment extend past the limits of Statutory Sick Pay.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
