Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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1656. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the way in which social welfare payments (details supplied) are paid; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1669/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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This Government continues to be committed to maintaining the post office network and for An Post to remain a strong and viable company in a position to provide a high quality postal service and maintain a nationwide customer focussed network of post offices in the community. My Department’s support for An Post is equally apparent. We have again renewed the contract for cash payment services with the company for another year. This contract is worth approximately €50m per annum to An Post.

The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection provides two main options for payment methods for its customers: payments in cash at post offices or payments direct to customer accounts in financial institutions. The Department intends, where possible, to continue to offer its many clients the choice of being paid in cash at the post office or directly into an account in a financial institution.

Persons under 65 years of age, who are in receipt of a Jobseeker’s payment, are required to be available for full-time employment and genuinely seeking work. In addition, they must comply, when requested to do so, with the Department’s activation measures. Certain compulsory criteria in these measures are relaxed for persons aged 62 and over, for example they are placed on yearly signing and they are given the option of being paid directly into their bank account where this option has not been available for them heretofore. This has been the Department’s policy since 1 January 2014.

Accordingly, those in receipt of a Jobseeker’s payment who are fully unemployed are contacted when they reach the age of 62 and offered the option of being paid directly into their bank account or continuing to be paid at the post office.

Customer wishes are facilitated where they choose to receive their social welfare payment at their local post office. It is not proposed to limit the freedom of social welfare customers to be paid directly into a financial institution if they so choose. This is in line with wider Departmental policy where the focus is on ensuring that social welfare customers are paid by the most convenient method possible.