John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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95. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) working two hours daily, ten hours weekly receiving €139 per week is not allowed sign on for the difference between their income and the jobseeker's allowance rate. [16839/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker’s allowance schemes provide income support for people who have lost work and are unable to find alternative full-time employment. The 2014 Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure this year on jobseeker schemes of €3.28 billion. It is a fundamental qualifying condition of both schemes that a person must be fully unemployed for four in any period of seven consecutive days, so a person working five days a week will not qualify. Where a jobseeker takes up employment the part-time job incentive scheme may, subject to scheme criteria, support them in making such a transition to employment. The scheme allows persons who are long-term unemployed to take up part-time employment for less than 24 hours per week and receive a weekly income supplement. Participants in this scheme are expected to continue to make efforts to find full-time work. It is recognised that a changing labour market has resulted in a move away from the more traditional work patterns, resulting in an increase in the number of persons employed for less than a full week. This is an important policy issue for my Department but any changes to the current criteria could have significant cost implications.

The Advisory Group on Tax and Social Welfare, which has already reported to me on a number of important policy areas, is now looking at the whole area of atypical work including the structure and operation of the jobseekers schemes. I look forward to their recommendations on this issue over the coming months.