Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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300. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the social protections that are available to a person (details supplied); if the action the person has been requested to take is correct; the social protections that are available generally for persons who are unemployed, divorced, not in receipt of maintenance payments and who do not qualify for the one-parent family payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8563/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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All jobseekers claiming a jobseekers payment are required to be available and genuinely seeking work. They are also required to engage with the department’s activation service and this obligation applies irrespective of whether the service is provided by the department’s own case officers or those employed by the Local Employment Service or by JobPath companies.

In general the department’s activation services provide jobseekers with assistance to find employment in their chosen area of work and if this is not possible, in other areas of employment. When with the JobPath service, which is typically for one year, the person will receive intensive individual support to find a full time sustainable job. This support includes CV preparation, interview skills, motivation training as well as other appropriate skills and training which is deemed necessary for the individual to be placed into employment. If the person is successful in finding a suitable job the JobPath company will provide in work support for at least 13 weeks and up to one year when the person remains in employment.

Customers whose circumstances are similar to those outlined by the Deputy are entitled to apply for a Jobseekers payment and, subject to them meeting the eligibility criteria, may qualify to receive a payment. The person concerned has applied for and is currently in receipt of a Jobseekers payment and is also working on a part time basis. A condition for the continued receipt of this payment is that a person must be seeking, and be available for, full-time work.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.