Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 November 2018
1086. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if there are avenues available for a person to retrospectively adjust the required 391-day continuous period on a qualifying social protection payment in cases in which the person or his or her children need this period to qualify for a SUSI grant, specifically in the context outlined (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45233/18]
View answerThe Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) Grant, payable by the Department of Education and Skills, represents the primary support for persons pursuing education. The eligibility rules that govern the payment of a student maintenance grant are a matter for that Department.
Jobseekers Allowance (JA) is a statutory social protection scheme with the legislative provisions provided for in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended). These provisions provide for recording the duration of a person's JA claim is terms of days of unemployment. The total number of days of unemployment paid on JA in one continuous period of unemployment is known as the cumulative total.
The legislation provides that any periods of unemployment not separated by more than 52 weeks for are treated as one such period. Therefore in cases where a person ceases their jobseeker’s payment to take up work but the work ends and the person signs on to a jobseeker’s payment again within one year, there is no break in the cumulative total days of unemployment.
There are no plans at present to change the JA legislation for how days of unemployment are determined and counted. Any proposals to amend the scheme that would give rise to costs within the Department would have to be considered in the overall budgetary context.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy at this time.
