Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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453. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 1124 of 21 April 2021, if her Department has further considered extending short time work support jobseeker’s eligibility beyond 234 days for those with the required PRSI contributions in acknowledgement of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on employment which has required many workers to receive this payment for longer than nine months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37527/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Short-Time Work Support is a non taxable social insurance contribution payment provided under Jobseekers Benefit for employees temporarily placed on a shorter working week by their employer and who are not being paid for days of unemployment. A person is entitled to payment of the support for any day of unemployment as long as they meet the scheme's conditions which include that they are unemployed for 4 days in 7 consecutive days.

It is a fundamental feature of a range of PRSI related benefits (including Jobseeker's Benefit, Maternity Benefit and Illness Benefit) that they are time limited. Jobseeker's Benefit support is paid for up to 9 months (or 234 days) for people with 260 or more PRSI contributions paid.  It is paid for up to 6 months (or 156 days) for people with fewer than 260 PRSI contributions paid. 

Where a person exhausts their entitlement to Jobseeker's Benefit, they may be eligible for support under the means tested Jobseeker's Allowance scheme. In these cases, the Department will contact the recipient 10 weeks and 4 weeks in advance of the expiry date of their claim to advise them that their entitlement is due to expire and that they may be eligible for the means tested Jobseekers Allowance.

Entitlement to Jobseeker's Allowance ensures that those most financially disadvantaged will continue to receive income support. Jobseeker's Allowance has no duration limit as long as a person meets the qualifying scheme conditions including the means test. The maximum weekly personal rate of Jobseeker's Allowance and Benefit are aligned at €203.  

The Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme provided by the Community Welfare Service is also available to any person who is in need of financial assistance. There are several payments within the scheme, including basic weekly Supplementary Welfare Allowance, supplements, Exceptional Needs Payments and Urgent Needs Payments.  

The wide ranging nature of the assistance available to those impacted by Covid -19, including the Employment Wage Subsidy scheme for employers, constitutes a comprehensive suite of supports and   I do not, therefore, intend to extend the duration of Jobseeker's Benefit.  

I hope that this clarifies the position at this time.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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454. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 1124 of 21 April 2021, the provision her Department plans to make for workers that have exhausted their short time work support or jobseeker's benefit eligibility as a result of pandemic related impact on their employment; the way those workers will be able to access income related supports such as maternity benefit and illness benefit moving forward; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37528/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Under the Jobseeker schemes a person can work up to 3 days a week and still retain access to a reduced Jobseeker’s payment, subject to satisfying the statutory scheme conditions. Short-Time Work Support is a non taxable social insurance contribution payment provided under the Jobseeker's Benefit scheme for employees temporarily placed on a shorter working week by their employer and who are not being paid for days of unemployment.

It is a fundamental feature of a range of PRSI related benefits (including Jobseeker's Benefit, Maternity Benefit and Illness Benefit) that they are time limited. Jobseeker's Benefit support is paid for up to 9 months (or 234 days) for people with 260 or more PRSI contributions paid.  It is paid for up to 6 months (or 156 days) for people with fewer than 260 PRSI contributions paid. 

Where a person exhausts their entitlement to Jobseeker's Benefit, they may be eligible for support under the means tested Jobseeker's Allowance scheme. In these cases, the Department will contact the recipient 10 weeks and 4 weeks in advance of the expiry date of their claim to advise them that their entitlement is due to expire and that they may be eligible for the means tested Jobseeker's Allowance.

Under certain circumstances a person may be awarded credits without receiving a Benefit or Allowance payment. This may apply, for example, in the case of a person who has exhausted entitlement to Jobseeker's Benefit but who does not qualify for Jobseeker's Allowance due to their means. In this case, the person may be entitled to 'sign' for credits to protect their future social insurance entitlements such as unemployment, illness or pension schemes.

The means tested Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme provided by the Community Welfare Service is also available to any person who is in need of financial assistance.  

I hope that this clarifies the position at this time.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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455. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of extending the working family payment to those without children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37532/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Working Family Payment provides an income support to employees on low earnings with children.  As of May 2021 there were 45,816 families in receipt of the payment in respect of 148,647 children.  Overall expenditure on the scheme in 2020 is estimated to be approximately €397 million.

Working Family Payment is a family benefit, as defined in EU Regulation 883/2004. As such it would not be possible to extend it to households without children in its current form. Additionally, the income thresholds for working family payment are directly linked to the number of children in the household  and therefore are not transferrable to other family types.   It is not possible to provide a costing as requested by the Deputy for these reasons.

My Department provides other supports for people on low incomes regardless of whether or not they have children.  In particular, Jobseeker’s Allowance includes a provision whereby a person can engage in employment for 3 days out of 7 and retain the payment (subject to continuing to satisfy the means test and other qualifying conditions).