Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 2 Oct 1996

Vol. 469 No. 3

Written Answers. - Local Authority Firefighters.

Pat Gallagher

Question:

192 Mr. Gallagher (Laoighis-Offaly) asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will disregard amounts paid to part-time local authority firefighters for periods of training in the calculation of unemployment payments in view of the fact that such training periods do not constitute gainful employment but are necessary for these people to be able to continue to serve as part-time firefighters. [17418/96]

Pat Gallagher

Question:

193 Mr. Gallagher (Laoighis-Offaly) asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will have the retainer paid to part-time local authority firefighters disregarded for unemployment payment purposes in view of the fact that it is not a payment for service and does place a restriction on their freedom to undertake other activities without a guarantee that they will actually earn income from attendance at fires; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17419/96]

Minister for Social Welfare (Proinsias De Rossa)

It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 192 and 193 together.

Income from employment as a part-time member of the fire service is assessed as means under the heading of cash income in accordance with rule 1 (2) of Part 1 of the Third Schedule to the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1993.

The legislation provides for an amount of earnings to be disregarded. This amount was initially set at the daily rate of unemployment assistance for each day worked plus £10 per week. Following a review in 1993, the amount was increased to the daily rate of unemployment assistance plus £15 per day worked. The current personal rates of unemployment assistance are £62.40 per week short-term and £64.50 long-term. Thus, a single person on the short-term rate, and working as a part-time local authority firefighter, can earn up to £25.40 per day worked without any means assessment.

In addition, part-time firemen are not required to sign off the live register on any day during which they are called out on fire duty. Neither are they required to sign off when they are involved in training exercises. Thus, they receive unemployment assistance on a full six day per week basis less any means assessed.

The Social Welfare Act, 1996, provides for changes in the assessment of earnings and the manner in which they will be assessed will be specified in regulations. It is proposed that the amount of earnings assessed in the case of a person without dependent children will be 60 per cent of the net earnings less £10 for each day worked. In any other case, the amount of the earnings assessed will be 60 per cent of the net earnings.

The £10 disregard to be applied in the case of people without dependent children is necessary so as to protect such people from losses which they would otherwise suffer. Couples with children receive higher daily rates of payment than people without children and, because of the provisions for payment of unemployment assistance in respect of days of employment, as well as days of unemployment, in a week, a daily disregard of £10 is not required to improve the incentive for this category. The new arrangements will come into force shortly.