Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. His overview of people's feelings about the scheme is absolutely correct. There are 34,500 claimants of the benefit in the first year, 84% of whom qualified for the higher rates payable. Over half of those who qualified for the higher rates were paid the maximum rate, €450.

We have begun an analysis of the first full year of operation, which ended at the end of March. It is too early to identify a trend or pattern from that, but most people are closing their claims before moving to the second tier of payment after 13 weeks. That is welcome and it explains the link to earnings. We will share the full analysis when we have it later in the year.

It is important to emphasise that this scheme is funded through the Social Insurance Fund, through people's own PRSI contributions. In this regard, people are basically getting back what they are putting in through PRSI. We will be learning from the jobseeker's pay-related benefit scheme for the lifetime of the Government and considering how a similar pay-related approach might be applied to other schemes.

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