Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 350: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the fact that retained fire fighters are being refused jobseeker's benefit; her views on the matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40844/11]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 373: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if her Department has completed a report to advise her on appropriate steps to deal with the general issue of social welfare payments to retained fire fighters; if she will publish the report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41122/11]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 426: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if the group established in her Department to examine the position of part-time fire fighters in relation to unemployment payments has concluded its work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1396/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 350, 373 and 426 together.

Social welfare legislation provides that a person must satisfy the conditions of being available for and genuinely seeking work in order to be entitled to jobseeker's benefit or jobseeker's allowance. Any person who fails to satisfy these conditions is not entitled to a jobseeker's payment.

Part-time fire-fighters are entitled to a jobseeker's payment in respect of days that they are engaged in fire-fighting or training. They are, however, required to satisfy the statutory conditions for the receipt of a jobseeker's payment of being available for and genuinely seeking work. In this respect, Deciding Officers do not treat them differently to any other jobseeker's benefit or allowance claimant.

While the importance of retained fire brigade personnel is fully recognised, the introduction of special arrangements exempting them from the requirement to fulfil the statutory conditions for entitlement to jobseeker's benefit or allowance would raise equity issues vis-a-vis other claimants to jobseeker's payments. However, taking account of the unusual circumstances of these workers and general efforts to develop and standardise our jobseeker schemes, a group has been established in the Department to examine the position of part-time fire-fighters.

Deliberations on this issue are currently being finalised. My officials will be in touch with relevant deputies in this regard in due course.