Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 145: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo has been refused unemployment benefit. [37479/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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To qualify for an unemployment payment a person must be available for and genuinely seeking full-time work. Following a review, a deciding officer disallowed the unemployment benefit claim of the person concerned from 10 November 2005 on the grounds that he was not genuinely seeking employment. The person concerned had failed to produce sufficient evidence to show that he had been consistently seeking full-time work.

He has appealed this decision and his file is being sent to the independent social welfare appeals office. A decision will be made as soon as possible and he will be notified of the outcome.

Under social welfare legislation, decisions in respect of 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.