Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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35. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the way in which she plans to address the anomaly that persons who are homeless and under 25 years of age on jobseeker's allowance are on a reduced payment as per the rules of the scheme making it much more difficult for them to extricate themselves from homelessness. [19307/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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In line with other EU and OECD jurisdictions where such measures feature in their social welfare systems, reduced rates for younger jobseeker’s allowance recipients were first introduced in 2009. These were further extended in subsequent budgets and now apply to jobseeker’s allowance recipients under 26 years of age. This is a targeted, non-discriminatory, measure aimed at protecting young people from welfare dependency by incentivising them to avail of education and training opportunities. If a jobseeker in receipt of the reduced jobseeker’s allowance rate participates on an education or training programme they will receive a higher weekly payment of €198. To guard against the development of welfare dependency I believe it is necessary to provide young jobseekers with a strong financial incentive to engage in education or training or to take up employment. If they do not improve their skills, it will be much more difficult for them to avail of job opportunities as the economy recovers and they are at risk of becoming long term unemployed from a young age.

My Department continues to engage in inter-agency responses to homelessness through its work in the Homeless Persons Unit in Dublin and engagement with Tusla, the HSE and non-Government organisations in providing the necessary support to all vulnerable people including young people who are experiencing homelessness or are in insecure situations. These cases are managed on a case-by-case basis and the payment of deposits and rent in advance is considered.