Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 302: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if a person (details supplied) in County Mayo can apply for a payment here. [8302/09]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 303: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the outcome of a review in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo. [8303/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 302 and 303 together.

Disability allowance is a weekly allowance paid to people with a disability who are aged between 16 and 66 years. The disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to both a medical examination and a means test.

The weekly rate of Disability Allowance payment depends on the amount of weekly means assessed. Means are assessed on the claimant's own means and that of their spouse/partner subject to certain exceptions laid down in legislation.

The person concerned applied for Disability Allowance on the 12 October 2007 and was awarded Disability Allowance with effect from 17 October 2007. He was assessed with means derived from his Social Security payment from England. The current weekly rate of Disability Allowance payable to the person concerned is €34.30 basic rate, a Living Alone Increase of €7.70 and a Free Fuel Allowance of €20.00. The total weekly Disability Allowance payment to this person is €62.00.

The person concerned has asked for a review of his Disability Allowance payment. His file has been sent to a Social Welfare Inspector to carry out a review of his means. When the Inspector's report is to hand a decision will be given on his means and he will be notified directly of the outcome.

The person concerned is not entitled to Illness Benefit (formerly known as Disability Benefit) as he has no reckonable social insurance contributions paid in Ireland.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 304: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason a person who wants to retain skills and confidence by working for free while unemployed and seeking other positions is prevented from doing so under current rules; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8314/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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One of the qualifying conditions for jobseeker's benefit and allowance is that a person must be unemployed, available for full-time employment and genuinely looking for work. Therefore, a day on which a person works, even if they are working for free, is not a day of unemployment. In this context "employed" means engaging in work that is paid work or is ordinarily paid work.

There is, however, a Voluntary Work Option available to jobseeker's. Under this option a person who engages in voluntary work within the state may continue to be entitled to jobseeker's benefit or allowance provided that, in engaging in the voluntary work, the person continues to satisfy the statutory conditions of being available for and genuinely seeking work.

The voluntary groups involved may be nationally organised groups or local voluntary or community groups. Examples of voluntary work in which jobseeker's may engage include helping the sick, elderly or persons with disabilities assisting youth clubs, church groups, sports groups, cultural organisations, local resident associations.

The aim of the Voluntary Work Option is twofold, namely — to encourage voluntary organisations to involve jobseeker's to the greatest extent possible in their existing activities by creating new opportunities for voluntary work and to inform jobseeker's of their freedom to involve themselves in voluntary work and to encourage them to do so.

In general, a person would not be permitted to avail of the voluntary work option where they would be doing the same work as a person who was being paid. The voluntary work would normally involve only a few hours a day or a few days a week but full-time involvement in voluntary activities would not necessarily be ruled out. However, there should be no implication of Job Replacement. Any reimbursement should generally be limited to out-of-pocket expenses such as travelling expenses.