Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 November 2017
56. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons aged 65 years of age and over that are in receipt of jobseeker's allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46865/17]
View answerThere is no statutory retirement age in the State, and the age at which employees retire is a matter for the contract of employment between them and their employers. Retirement age in the public sector is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. State pension age is currently 66.
Where a person exits the workforce before reaching State pension age they may apply for either the jobseeker’s benefit or jobseeker’s allowance schemes. Jobseeker’s payments are paid to eligible jobseekers aged 18 to 66 years and all recipients of a jobseeker’s payment are subject to the rules of the scheme. At the end of September, there were over 2,800 recipients of jobseeker’s allowance aged 65 and over.
People in receipt of a jobseeker's payment must engage with my Department's activation measures. From January 2014, these criteria were eased for people aged 62 and over, such that they are not obliged to engage with the activation process. However, they are still able to voluntarily avail of a range of supports from my Department if they wish to return to work, training or education.
Furthermore, the majority of these people will have to register with their local Intreo centre only once a year and their payments will be paid directly into their bank accounts. Once a person has exhausted their entitlement to jobseeker’s benefit, they may be eligible for jobseeker’s allowance, subject to the means test and other qualifying conditions. However, someone claiming jobseeker’s benefit from a date after their 65th birthday continues to be eligible for that payment until reaching State pension age which is currently 66 years of age.
