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Social Welfare Benefits

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 March 2022

Tuesday, 8 March 2022

Questions (373)

Paul Murphy

Question:

373. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person who is on jobseeker’s benefit who is engaged in a Springboard course can be obliged to take up a job opportunity which they feel is not relevant to their career path; and if they can they face sanctions for not doing so. [13016/22]

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Written answers

The Jobseekers Benefit scheme provides a statutory income support payment to individuals who have lost work and are unable to obtain full time employment.

To be eligible for the payment, a person must satisfy all of the qualifying conditions which include that they must be available for and genuinely seeking full time employment. A person may be regarded as not being available for work if they impose unreasonable restrictions on the nature of the employment, the hours of work, the rate of pay, employment duration, location of the employment or any other employment conditions they are prepared to accept.

Jobseekers pursuing a part time Springboard programme must continue to satisfy the conditions of the scheme including genuinely seeking work and being available to take up a reasonable offer of employment.

It is open for a person to seek an independent appeal of a decision on their Jobseekers benefit decision.

I trust that this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

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