Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 April 2016
20. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection to review and revise the casual dockets signing-on system to cater for those persons whose working week does not align with that of her Department (details supplied). [7298/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker’s allowance schemes provide income support for people who have lost work and are unable to find alternative full-time employment. The 2016 Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure this year on the jobseekers’ scheme of €2.8 billion.
It is a fundamental qualifying condition of both schemes that a person must be fully unemployed for four days in any period of seven consecutive days, so a person working four or more days a week will not qualify for jobseeker’s allowance. However, there is flexibility to look back as well as forward when considering whether a person is unemployed for four days in any period of 7 consecutive days. This can mean that a casual worker may qualify for a jobseeker’s payment subject to the number of days they were unemployed in a previous week.
It is recognised that a changing labour market has resulted in a move away from the more traditional work patterns, resulting in an increase in the number of persons employed for less than a full week.
This is an important policy issue for the Department but any changes to the current criteria could have significant cost implications for the jobseekers’ schemes. In particular, increasing flexibility in the system could potentially, depending on the behavioural response, increase the number of people claiming a jobseeker’s payment thereby increasing the total cost of the schemes to the Exchequer.
