The jobseeker’s allowance scheme provides income support for people who have lost work and are unable to find alternative full-time employment. The 2018 Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure this year on the jobseeker’s schemes of €2.17 billion.
The qualifying conditions for receipt of jobseeker’s allowance require a person to be unemployed, available for and genuinely seeking full-time employment. In general, there is no delay in processing jobseeker allowance claims in Intreo Centres if the relevant claim application forms and supporting documentation are completed in a timely manner.
The timescale for determining entitlement to jobseekers allowance is dependent, among other things, on the availability of the required information, such as confirmation of the nature of the employment contract a teacher has in place with their school or college. Some aspects of the application process are therefore inevitably more time-consuming and some delays can occur.
The provision of a prompt and efficient service is a major objective for the Department’s staff in Intreo centres, subject to the necessity to ensure that each case is fully examined and dealt with in a consistent and fair manner.
If the Deputy has concerns in respect of a particular case he should bring it to the attention of the Department.
