Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 July 2013
311. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will confirm the current status of the proposed legislation for the special position of retained fire fighters with regard to social welfare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36001/13]
View answerOver 2,000 persons are employed as retained (part-time) fire-fighters, providing services which are vitally important to their communities. Typically, these workers provide services in rural and less densely populated areas but larger urban centres may also have a cohort of part-time workers.
Retained fire-fighters who are otherwise unemployed 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. Any person who fails to satisfy these conditions is not entitled to a jobseeker's payment.
Taking account of the unusual circumstances of retained fire personnel the Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2013 and accompanying regulations, carried amendments to both jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker's allowance that put the treatment of retained fire fighters on a legislative basis.
Critically, the revised provisions provide that employment as a retained fire fighter shall satisfy the availability conditionality, irrespective of the requirement that a retained fire fighter who is on call must be within a 1.5 mile radius of their respective fire station. However, retained fire fighters are still required to be available for additional or alternative full time employment.
The revised provisions will exempt retained fire-fighters from having to satisfy the jobseeker’s benefit 'substantial loss' of employment rule, which means that retained fire fighters can potentially re-qualify for jobseeker's benefit without suffering any additional loss of employment. In addition, the revised legislative provisions also state that any days of employment as a retained fire fighter will not reduce their jobseeker's claim.
The changes contained in the Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2013 and the accompanying regulatory amendments have effect from 10 July, 2013. These changes will act to allow retained fire-fighters a reasonable and fair level of access to the jobseeker schemes in future.
