Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
2531. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of young persons under 26 years of age that are in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance, jobseeker’s benefit and signing for credits for 12 months or more, by county in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34202/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra2586. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons 26 years of age and under in receipt of jobseeker's allowance by age and payment; the number of qualified adult rates included in these groups; the estimated cost in a full year of restoring all the reduced payments for persons under 26 to the full adult rate of €198 and same with the qualified adult rate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35243/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 2531 and 2586 together.
The jobseeker's benefit (JB) and jobseeker’s allowance (JA) schemes provide income support for people who have lost work and who are available for and genuinely seeking full-time employment. The 2018 Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure this year on the jobseekers’ schemes of €2.17 billion.
A breakdown of the number of recipients under 26 years of age that are in receipt of JA, JB and signing for credits for 12 months or more, by county is provided in the attached tabular statement. A breakdown of the number of people aged 26 years of age and under who are in receipt of JA by age and payment and the number of qualified adult rates included in these groups is also provided.
In line with other EU and OECD jurisdictions where such measures feature in their social welfare systems, reduced rates for younger JA recipients were first introduced in 2009. These were further extended in subsequent budgets. This is a targeted measure aimed at protecting young people from welfare dependency by incentivising them to avail of education and training opportunities. If a jobseeker in receipt of the reduced rate participates on an education or training programme they will receive a higher weekly payment of €198.
The reduced rates of JA do not apply to certain categories of young people including those with a qualified child, those making a claim for JA where that claim is linked to a JA claim made within the previous 12 months to which the maximum personal rate applied, and 18-24 year olds who were in the care of the Child and Family Agency (TUSLA) during the period of 12 months before they reached the age of 18.
The estimated cost in a full year of restoring all the reduced payments for under 26’s to the full personal rate of €198 and the full qualified adult rate is approximately €80 million. Any changes to the jobseekers schemes would have to be considered in a budgetary context and within the scope of the overall resources available for welfare improvements.
I am keen to ensure that my Department identifies effective measures to encourage and support young people in finding and securing sustainable jobs. The best way to do this is through engagement processes and by incentivising them to avail of educational and training opportunities, thereby enhancing their employment prospects. The Central Statistics Office seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for people aged 15-24 years (youth unemployment rate) was 11.4% in June 2018, a decrease from 17.1% in June 2016. This represents a significant decrease of over 5 percentage points.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Table 1 - The number of people under 26 years of age who are in receipt of JA, JB and signing for credits for 12 months or more, by county
|
County |
JA |
JB |
Credits |
|
Carlow |
498 |
46 |
0 |
|
Cavan |
442 |
30 |
0 |
|
Clare |
511 |
50 |
2 |
|
Cork |
1,551 |
181 |
12 |
|
Donegal |
1,306 |
83 |
9 |
|
Dublin |
5,250 |
707 |
38 |
|
Galway |
912 |
104 |
4 |
|
Kerry |
671 |
66 |
10 |
|
Kilkenny |
61 |
5 |
1 |
|
Kildare |
882 |
98 |
6 |
|
Kilkenny |
323 |
29 |
2 |
|
Laois |
536 |
24 |
3 |
|
Leitrim |
181 |
15 |
3 |
|
Limerick |
1,181 |
87 |
4 |
|
Longford |
349 |
25 |
4 |
|
Louth |
1,128 |
83 |
6 |
|
Mayo |
663 |
65 |
2 |
|
Meath |
544 |
48 |
4 |
|
Monaghan |
269 |
30 |
1 |
|
Offaly |
617 |
64 |
3 |
|
Roscommon |
260 |
17 |
2 |
|
Sligo |
340 |
26 |
1 |
|
Tipperary |
1,095 |
80 |
13 |
|
Waterford |
870 |
76 |
5 |
|
Westmeath |
641 |
47 |
3 |
|
Wexford |
1,163 |
97 |
7 |
|
Wicklow |
597 |
48 |
7 |
|
Totals |
22,841 |
2,231 |
152 |
Table 2 - The number of persons 26 years of age and under in receipt of jobseekers allowance by age and full age related payment and the number of qualified adult rates included in these groups
|
Age |
Rate |
Rate |
Rate |
Payments with a Qualified Adult |
Qualified Adult Payment Rates |
|
€107.70 (18-24 year olds) |
€152.80 (25 year olds) |
€198.00 (full rate) |
|||
|
18 |
1,638 |
N/A |
81 |
29 |
€107.70 |
|
19 |
2,448 |
N/A |
200 |
101 |
€107.70 |
|
20 |
2,537 |
2 |
291 |
146 |
€107.70 |
|
21 |
2,479 |
1 |
392 |
236 |
€107.70 |
|
22 |
2,333 |
5 |
517 |
262 |
€107.70 |
|
23 |
2,224 |
1 |
578 |
340 |
€107.70 |
|
24 |
2,103 |
16 |
669 |
395 |
€107.70 |
|
25 |
1 |
2,416 |
817 |
420 |
€131.40 (full rate) |
|
26 |
N/A |
7 |
3,681 |
544 |
€131.40 (full rate) |
|
Total* |
15,763 |
2,448 |
7,226 |
2,473 |
N/A |
* These figures do not include claims with a lower rate of payment due to penalty rates
