The main income supports, excluding the emergency time-limited Pandemic Unemployment Payment, offered by my Department for people who have lost employment are the social insurance contribution based jobseekers benefit and means tested jobseekers allowance schemes.
Jobseekers benefit is a statutory scheme which is paid for 9 months (234 days) for people with 260 or more PRSI contributions paid and is paid for 6 months (156 days) for people with fewer than 260 PRSI contributions paid. Where a person exhausts their claim for jobseekers benefit or they do not meet the contribution requirement they may apply for means-tested jobseekers allowance.
Any adjustments to the duration of jobseekers benefit would have to be considered in the overall policy and budgetary context. I trust that this clarifies the position.