Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

43. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she has reviewed the possibility of including farm and fish assist recipients for eligibility in the JobsPlus scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34982/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I would like to refer the Deputy to a reply I gave to a similar question asked by the Deputy on the 17th April last.

Pathways to Work sets out the Government’s policy direction on labour market activation and is a key element of the Government’s strategy to get Ireland working again. The strategy outlined in Pathways is devised to ensure new job opportunities are made available to people on the live register with particular focus on the longer term unemployed. JobsPlus is exclusively targeted at this cohort. While consideration is being given to expanding the scheme and possibly broadening the range of qualifying payments, I do not consider that it would be justified to open the scheme to farmers who are working and in receipt of a farm assist payment. Given the pressure on resources and the continuing high number of jobseekers who have been out of work for more than 12 months, I believe it is justified to continue to maintain priority on longer term jobseekers, in line with the commitments in Pathways to Work.

The Deputy should note that, unlike Farm Assist, there is no separate payment termed ‘Fish Assist’. The term was previously used to describe a feature of the jobseeker’s allowance scheme and referred to aspects of the means assessment which applied to certain categories of self-employed fishermen and were discontinued under measures in Budget 2012 and Budget 2013. Self-employed fishermen who are in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance may qualify for JobsPlus subject to general scheme criteria being met. Eligibility can be established online using the jobsplus website or by calling to one of the Department’s Intreo centres or local offices.

At the end of August 2014, 2,236 employers received payments in respect of 2,952 employees who were previously long term jobseekers. Further details of the JobsPlus incentive, including how to apply, are available on www.jobsplus.ie.