Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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176. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the options available to a person who works three days a week and would like to sign on for benefits for the remaining two days; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17665/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Department's main unemployment supports are jobseekers benefit and jobseekers allowance. The qualifying conditions for both schemes require a person to be unemployed, available for and genuinely seeking full-time work and to be fully unemployed for at least four in any seven consecutive days. For jobseekers benefit they must have the necessary social insurance contributions and have sustained a substantial loss of employment.

Short Time Work Support is also available to employees who are put on short time working week on a temporary basis due to a reduction in business. To qualify for this support a person must meet all of the qualifying conditions for jobseekers benefit, including the contribution condition.

If a person does not qualify for jobseekers benefit or Short-time Work Support they may apply for means tested jobseekers allowance.

Further information on these supports are available on www.gov.ie

I trust that this clarifies the position for the Deputy.