Written answers

Thursday, 14 November 2013

Department of Social Protection

Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility

Photo of Patrick NultyPatrick Nulty (Dublin West, Independent)
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95. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views on matters raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding social welfare entitlements for person's over 62 years old; if she will address the issues raised therein; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48678/13]

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Where individuals exit the workforce prior to pension age they often seek the support of either the jobseeker’s benefit or jobseeker’s allowance schemes. Jobseeker's benefit is a weekly payment to people out of work and covered by social insurance. If a person does not qualify for jobseeker’s benefit they may qualify for means tested jobseeker's allowance. The Revised Estimates for my Department provides for expenditure on the jobseeker’s schemes of €3.66 billion in 2013.

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.

In addition, people in receipt of a jobseeker's payment must engage with the Department's activation measures and can face sanctions if they fail to do so. These criteria will now be eased for people aged 62 and over. They will still be able to avail voluntarily of an array of supports, which are available from the Department if they wish to return to work, training or education but sanctions will not be applied to this cohort, should they decide they do not wish to engage with the activation process.

Special arrangements will also be made so that the majority of older people in receipt of a jobseeker’s payment will have to register with their local office only once a year and their payments will be paid directly into their bank accounts.

The arrangements will apply to both existing and new recipients under the jobseeker’s schemes from January 2014. They will enable these individuals to ease their transition into one of the jobseeker’s schemes until they become eligible for a State pension on their 66th birthday.

Further information on issues such as the treatment of pension income under the jobseeker’s allowance means test and the value of credited contributions in terms of qualification for activation schemes may be obtained on or from any social welfare local office.

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