Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 237: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will provide the details of an appeal of unemployment benefit for a person (details supplied) in County Mayo; and the efforts which the social and family affairs local office made to assist this person in securing employment. [6501/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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A person applying for unemployment benefit is required to make reasonable efforts to find employment.

The person concerned applied for unemployment benefit from 29 July 2004. Her claim was disallowed as the deciding officer decided that she had not made sufficient efforts to find alternative employment. She appealed this decision. Following an oral hearing, an appeals officer upheld the decision of the deciding officer disallowing her claim on the grounds that she was not genuinely seeking work. An appeals officer's decision is final in the absence of new facts or fresh evidence. It is open to the person concerned to re-apply for an unemployment payment, if her circumstances have changed.

My Department's policy is to support people who wish to take up employment. This can include providing copies of jobs advertised in the newspaper and referring people to FÁS. However, local office staff are not in a position to refer customers to specific employers. Claimants are required to inform themselves of the vacancies in the areas they live in and to make appropriate efforts themselves to access those employments.

Under social welfare legislation, decisions in relation to claims must be made by deciding officers and appeals officers. These officers are statutorily appointed and I have no role in regard to making such decisions.