Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 November 2012
402. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has completed a report to advise on the appropriate steps to deal with the general issue of social welfare payments to retained fire fighters; if she will publish this report; if legislation may be required in this area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51418/12]
View answerSocial welfare legislation provides that a person must satisfy the conditions of being available for and genuinely seeking work in order to be entitled to jobseeker’s benefit or jobseeker’s allowance. Any person who fails to satisfy these conditions is not entitled to a jobseeker’s payment.
Part-time fire-fighters are entitled to a jobseeker’s payment in respect of days that they are engaged in fire-fighting or training. They are, however, required to satisfy the statutory conditions for the receipt of a jobseeker’s payment of being available for and genuinely seeking work. In this respect, Deciding Officers do not treat them differently to any other jobseeker’s benefit or allowance claimant.
Taking account of the unusual circumstances of retained fire brigade personnel and general efforts to develop and standardise our jobseeker schemes, a departmental group was established in late 2011 to examine the position of these workers vis-à-vis jobseeker’s benefit and jobseeker’s allowance.
Officials in my Department are also in discussions with their counterparts from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government concerning this issue. Deliberations in relation to the position of these workers are on-going and final decisions have not been made with regard to potential changes to existing arrangements.
