Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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107. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if people who transfer their social insurance credits to their spouse's tax free allowance are not eligible to apply for JobBridge; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7153/14]

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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108. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views on whether the requirement of an applicant for JobBridge to be in receipt of a social protection payment or signing on for credits might discriminate against young persons just out of school or college who do not have the required credited contributions to permit them to sign on for credits; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7154/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 107 and 108 together.

The eligibility to access JobBridge is based on the overall objective of labour market policy in ensuring a pathway to appropriate employment, training and education opportunities for those on the Live Register. JobBridge has been launched in this targeted way to allocate scarce exchequer resources fairly while ensuring that it does not displace the normal operation of the labour market, which is an essential element of Ireland’s economic recovery.

Participation on JobBridge requires an applicant to have a live qualifying claim in their own right and to have accumulated 3 months (78 days) in the previous 6 months on an eligible claim (Jobseekers Allowance, Jobseekers Benefit, One Parent Family Payment, Disability Allowance, signing for credits). These rules apply to young people in the same way as they do to all other jobseekers.