I am deeply conscious of the long tradition of volunteering in this country and I am committed to ensuring this valuable tradition continues to thrive. To facilitate this commitment to the voluntary community, my Department operates a Voluntary Work Option for customers on the Jobseeker schemes. Under these arrangements, a Jobseeker customer may engage in voluntary work within the State without affecting their Jobseeker entitlements, provided they continue to satisfy the statutory conditions of being available for and genuinely seeking work.
Examples of voluntary work in which jobseekers may engage include helping the sick, elderly or persons with a disability or assisting youth clubs, church groups, sports groups, cultural organisations and local resident associations. Voluntary groups may be locally or nationally organised and may include community groups. Details of the Voluntary Work Option arrangements are published on the Department’s website and, in order to ensure that the profile is raised, all staff involved in the administration of the Jobseeker schemes were recently reminded of these arrangements and of the operational procedures under which they operate. Details of the Voluntary Work Option are also published on the Volunteer Ireland website. Statistics on the number of applicants refused and the underlying reasons involved are not maintained. However, statistics are available on the number of persons who availed of the option in 2012 (234 persons) and in 2011 (169 persons).
