Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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1302. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the full-year cost of eliminating the reduced rates of jobseeker's allowance for persons under 26 years of age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36591/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The rationale for having reduced rates of payment for young jobseekers in receipt of a means-tested jobseeker’s payment is to prevent young people from entering welfare dependency by providing a strong financial incentive to take up a job, or a training or education programme.

In this regard, young jobseekers who participate in an education, training or employment programme currently qualify for the maximum weekly rate of payment. Age-related reduced rates of payment also do not apply in certain circumstances, such as when the claimant has a dependent child, or transferred to Jobseeker's Allowance from Disability Allowance, or was in State care during the 12 months prior to applying for Jobseeker's Allowance.

The estimated full year cost in 2019 of increasing the age-related reduced rates of Jobseeker's Allowance for persons under the age of 26, from €107.70 per week and €152.80 per week to €198 per week, is €59.75 million. This cost includes increasing the €107.70 qualified adult rate to €131.40 per week.

It should be noted that the above costing is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2019.