Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

Where the claimant has less than 260 paid contributions, the maximum duration of jobseeker's benefit will be nine months, instead of 12 months, if the claimant currently has been in receipt of benefit for less than three months and in respect of all new claimants.

New claimants for jobseeker's benefit will in future have to have paid a total of at least 104 contributions to the social insurance fund, with at least 13 of these paid in the relevant tax year. The rate of payment will more closely reflect what the individual was earning prior to becoming unemployed and the duration of the payment will be either 12 or nine months depending on the number of social insurance contributions they have made in the past. Taken together, these changes to jobseeker's, illness and health and safety benefits are expected to generate €72.7 million in savings next year and €119 million a year from 2010 on.

Those who will be affected by these changes will be able to claim jobseeker's allowance or supplementary welfare allowance instead if they have limited means.

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