Mr. Niall Egan:

Jobseeker's benefit is based on the number of contributions paid in the relevant tax year. The relevant tax year for 2014 is 2012. However, we also take into account contributions paid in the previous two years. For argument's sake, if an individual was to claim today, we would take into account his or her contributions since 2010 in assessing the application for jobseeker's benefit. However, if he or she had previously claimed jobseeker's benefit and it had expired before his or her 65th birthday, the only recourse would be to jobseeker's allowance or another social welfare payment.