Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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169. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of persons currently in receipt of unemployment benefit and jobseekers' allowance; the extent to which such figures have fluctuated over the past three years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40581/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The number of recipients of either jobseeker’s allowance or jobseeker’s benefit at the end of October 2015 was 249,243 and 35,721 respectively.

Jobseeker’s allowance recipients decreased by 11.6% between the end of October 2012 and end October 2015, while recipients of Jobseeker’s Benefit decreased by 51.6% during the same period. The overall reduction in recipients of jobseeker’s payments was 19.9% during the 3 year period commencing 1 November 2012.

A tabular statement detailing the number of recipients of these schemes at the end of October in each of the years 2012 to 2015 together with the percentage year on year variances is attached.

Recipients of Jobseeker’s allowance or Jobseeker’s Benefit at 31 October in each of the years 2012 to 2015