Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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1239. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the position regarding the departmental review on the terms and conditions surrounding seasonal workers accessing social welfare; when the report will be published; if the situation facing hundreds of seasonal workers that cannot access social welfare when their employment ends will be rectified on foot of the consideration of the departmental review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46519/17]

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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1240. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if terms and conditions have changed for seasonal workers accessing social welfare entitlements in the context of budget 2018; if these changes are expected to be made in the upcoming Social Welfare Bill; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46522/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1239 and 1240 together.

The jobseeker's benefit (JB) and jobseeker’s allowance (JA) schemes provide income support for people who have lost work and who are available for and genuinely seeking full-time employment. JA is a means tested social assistance payment whereas JB is a contribution based insurance scheme. The 2017 Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure this year on the jobseekers’ schemes of €2.5 billion.

It is important in the interests of equity and fairness that the conditions for receipt of a jobseekers payment apply to all recipients, including those who could be categorised as seasonal and part-time workers.

One of the conditions for receipt of JB is that the person must be unemployed for at least 4 days out of 7 in order to qualify. However, there are circumstances where it is possible for a person to be engaged in employment (either insurable or self-employment) on a given day and still satisfy the unemployment condition for that day. This type of employment is known as ‘subsidiary employment’. In order to be deemed “subsidiary”, the employment must be capable of being carried out outside the ordinary working hours of person’s “usual employment”. In addition, the employment is subject to a daily earnings limit of €12.70 per day unless the person has more than 117 contributions paid in the preceding three years from the date of their claim (in which case no earnings limit is applicable).

Where a person exhausts their entitlement to JB, they must pay 13 additional PRSI contributions after the last day of payment in order to re-qualify. The 13 contributions needed to re-qualify for JB can be paid in respect of full time employment, seasonal employment, part-time employment or casual employment. If a seasonal or a part time worker meets this requirement they may re-qualify for JB. This requirement is in place to ensure the person has a reasonable connection with the labour market before he or she can re-qualify for payment. If a person does not re-qualify for JB or has used up his or her entitlement to JB, then he or she can apply for JA.

In Budget 2018 I provided for an increase of €5 per week in the maximum personal rates of all weekly payments, including JA and JB as well as proportionate increases in weekly payments for qualified adults and a €2 per week increases in payments in respect of qualified children. These increases will come into effect from the week beginning 26 March 2018. There are no changes to the qualifying conditions to the JA or JB schemes.

An Taoiseach, in his previous role as Minister for Social Protection, gave a commitment at Dáil report stage of the Social Welfare Bill 2016 that he would ask officials to examine the issue of jobseeker’s benefit and the treatment of part-time and seasonal workers, including those categorised as having subsidiary employment. As a result, my Department is currently finalising a report in relation to these issues.