Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 329: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if there are different rules for Irish and other EU recipients of jobseekers allowance and jobseekers benefit with regard to the length of time they can spend outside the country while still claiming benefit; if Irish recipients can still claim while spending time abroad seeking work; if the time so allowed differs from the time non-Irish recipients can spend in their home country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9792/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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There is no difference in the rules that apply to Irish and other EU recipients regarding the transfer of jobseeker's benefit to another European country. However, jobseeker's allowance is not a transferable payment.

Under Article 69 of EU Regulation 1408/71 a person who has been in receipt of jobseeker's benefit in one of the European countries for at least 4 weeks, may transfer this benefit to one of the other European countries for a maximum of 13 weeks, (78 days) provided the person is seeking employment in that country.

The person registers as unemployed in the country to which s/he travels and is paid by the social security authorities in that country at the same rate as the person was receiving from the country from which s/he travelled. This money is subsequently recouped from the home country.