Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 December 2018
68. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to reduce the percentage deduction from payments for those is receipt of jobseeker's allowance and farm assist arising from self-employed income; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53206/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe assessment of means for the purpose of qualifying for farm assist is designed to reflect the actual net income from farming. Income and expenditure figures for the preceding year are generally used as an indicator of the expected position in the following year. However, account is taken of any exceptional circumstances in order to ensure that the assessment accurately reflects the current situation.
In March 2017, the percentage of income earned from farming or off-farm self-employment assessed as means was reduced from 100% to 70%. Also, additional disregards for claimants with children were introduced with €254 of income per annum disregarded for each of the first two children and €381 for third and subsequent children.
It may also be noted that farm assist customers continue to receive more beneficial treatment than other self-employed persons as payments received under the Agri-Environment Options Scheme (AEOS), Green Low-Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS) or Special Area of Conservation (SAC) schemes are assessed separately from other farm income. With regard to this income, the first €2,540 is disregarded, and then 50% of the balance and related expenses are disregarded.
A person may qualify for jobseeker's allowance if their business ceases or if they are on low income as a result of a downturn in demand for their services. Where self-employed people satisfy the appropriate means test and any other specific qualifying conditions, they may be eligible for jobseeker's allowance in the same manner as employees.
In assessing means from self-employment, income from the previous twelve months is used as an indicator of likely future earnings. Given the variety of self-employment situations, the means assessment procedures are applied in a flexible manner to ensure that any circumstances that would be likely to lead to a significant variation, either upward or downward, in the level of a person’s income from one year to the next are taken into consideration.
People who were previously self-employed and are now in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance have access to the full range of activation measures and supports available to other jobseeker’s allowance recipients. This includes referral to group information sessions, one to one interviews and subsequent case officer support. It also includes access to training, temporary employment, work-experience and recruitment subsidy programmes. Further, it should also be noted that Budget 2019 announced an extension of Jobseekers Benefit to the self-employed. This is expected to be introduced towards the end of 2019.
Any changes to the assessment of self-employment income for jobseeker's allowance and farm assist would have to be considered in the overall policy and budgetary context.
