Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 9 Mar 1993

Vol. 427 No. 6

Written Answers. - Part-Time Workers.

Proinsias De Rossa

Ceist:

87 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number, or estimated number, of part-time workers brought into the social insurance system as a result of the Workers' Protection Act, 1991; the number, or estimated number, of part-time workers he expects will be unable to receive unemployment benefit and disability benefit owing to the operation of Section 6 of SI 448 of 1992 because they will not have been deemed to have sustained a loss of employment; the amount, or estimated amount, of savings he expects to realise arising from the operation of Section 6 of SI 448 of 1992, in so far as part-time workers, who would have previously been eligible for unemployment and disability benefit under the 1991 Act, will no longer be eligible.

Proinsias De Rossa

Ceist:

89 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he intends to conduct a review of the impact of Section 6 of SI 448 of 1992 on part-time workers in time to make any amendments of modifications in the Social Welfare Bill, 1993; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Proinsias De Rossa

Ceist:

90 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of claims received from part-time workers for unemployment benefit and disability benefit; and the number of these claims rejected due to claimant's failure to have sustained a substantial loss of employment as specified in Section 6 of SI 448 of 1992, from the month of January 1993.

Minister for Social Welfare (Dr. Woods)

It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 87, 89 and 90 together.

The Workers Protection Act, 1991, did not have any effect on the social insurance status of part-time workers. In April 1991 I extended social insurance to part-time workers earning £25 per week or more, under the Social Welfare (Employment of Inconsiderable Extent) Regulations, 1991. It was estimated that, as a result of these regulations, over 26,000 part-time workers were brought into social insurance and can now qualify for the full range of social insurance benefits, including pensions.

Claims for benefit from insured part-time workers are treated on the same basis as those from full-time workers and there is, therefore, no need to identify part-time workers as a separate group within the social insurance system. Accordingly, statistics on the number of benefit claims from part-time workers are not available. Applicants for disability benefit are not required to have sustained a loss of employment and are unaffected by section 6 of SI 488 of 1992.

In my speech on the budget debate I indicated that I have decided to relax the substantial loss of employment condition by providing that claimants in all cases will only be required to lose one day's employment, regardless of the number of days they work in a week. This change will make it easier for part-time workers to qualify for unemployment benefit.

Proinsias De Rossa

Ceist:

88 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of claims received from part-time workers for unemployment benefit, disability benefit, maternity benefit and treatment benefit for 1992; the number of these claims awarded; the number of these claims rejected; and the reason for their rejection.

Minister for Social Welfare (Dr. Woods)

In April 1991 I extended insurance coverage for the full range of social insurance benefits to part-time workers earning £25 per week or more. Claims for benefit from insured part-time workers are treated on the same basis as those from full-time workers, and part-time workers are not identified as a separate group within the social insurance system. Accordingly, the statistics requested by the Deputy are not available.