Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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729. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the way contributions are considered when a person applies for a social protection payment (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25338/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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There are two types of schemes run by my Department – assistance schemes which are funded by the Exchequer, and benefit schemes, which are funded by the Social Insurance Fund through pay related social insurance contributions (PRSI). The 2016 Revised Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure of approximately €8.6 billion on benefit schemes.

A person who applies for any social insurance payment from the Department of Social Protection is subject to the conditions of that scheme, including having the required number of qualifying PRSI contributions for the scheme. For example, to qualify for jobseeker’s benefit (JB) a person must have at least;

- 104 reckonable PRSI contributions paid since they entered insurable employment and satisfy either one of the following;

a) Have at least 39 reckonable PRSI contributions paid or credited in the Governing Contribution Year (GCY) of which 13 of these contributions must be paid contributions or

b) Have at least 26 reckonable contributions paid in both the Governing Contribution Year (GCY) and the year immediately preceding the GCY.

The GCY is the year two years prior to the current year. For example the GCY for 2016 is 2014.

The wide number of options in relation to combining contributions for JB allows as many people as possible to qualify for a payment. However, it is not possible to cater for every individual specific personal circumstance and as a result there will always be situations where a person will not qualify for a benefit payment. The purpose of jobseeker’s benefit is to ensure that those who have a close connection to workforce are supported. Where an individual does not have entitlement under jobseeker’s benefit, they may qualify for a means tested jobseeker’s allowance payment.

Where an individual does not have entitlement under jobseeker’s benefit or allowance, they may be eligible for the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, which is considered the "safety net" within the overall social welfare system. The SWA scheme provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependants. The main purpose of the scheme is to provide immediate and flexible assistance for those in need who do not qualify for payment under other state schemes.

Any changes to the contribution conditions for social welfare insurance based schemes could have significant cost implications for the Social Insurance Fund and would need to be carefully considered by Government in a budgetary context.