Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 404: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the position with regard to the appeal of a decision to refuse unemployment assistance to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick in view of the fact that they have had no income since they ceased working on 20 June 2008. [40585/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The person concerned claimed jobseeker's allowance from 23 June 2008. To qualify for this payment, a person must satisfy the conditions as to means and in this case the claim was disallowed by a Deciding Officer on the grounds that his means exceeded the weekly rate payable. He was assessed with weekly means of €1,492 derived from self-employment.

He appealed this decision and following a review his means were adjusted downwards and he was given a Nil means assessment. Generally in the case of self-employed persons their income in the past twelve months is taken as a reflection of their likely income over the next twelve months. However, each case is treated on its merits and in relation to the person concerned it was accepted, during the review, that his income for the past twelve months is not an accurate reflection of his likely income over the next twelve months and the decision was revised accordingly. He now qualifies for full payment of jobseekers allowance from the date of his claim.