Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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265. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if her Department has examined the introduction of a facility for recipients of Jobseeker's payments to alert her Department, by way of text message, when they work extra time; and the estimated cost of introducing such a facility. [15455/15]

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 2015 Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure this year on the jobseekers’ schemes of €3.01 billion.

Customers on the schemes who commence work, or who increase their hours if in work, are obliged to inform the Department of the changes in their circumstances. This can be in person, by phone call or electronically by either e-mail or via ,where the facility exists to sign-off on-line.

The Department is not currently examining the potential for a facility for recipients of jobseeker's payments to alert the Department via text message. Accordingly costs associated with such a system have not been estimated.