Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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302. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons currently in receipt of jobseeker’s benefit or jobseeker’s allowance who have been in receipt of either payment for a continuous period of three years or; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21818/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Jobseeker's Benefit and Jobseeker's Allowance schemes are statutory supports which provide income support for people who have lost work and are unable to find alternative full-time employment. Jobseeker's benefit is a contributory unemployment benefit based on Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contributions while Jobseeker’s Allowance is means tested social assistance payment.

A person is entitled to a Jobseekers payment for any day of unemployment provided that they meet the relevant scheme conditions, including being unemployed for at least 4 days out of 7 days. The 2022 Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure this year on the jobseekers’ schemes of €2.17 billion.

The numbers of Jobseekers currently in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance for a continuous period of 3 years or more is approximately 36,800 which includes over 9,000 who are working on a part time or casual basis or who are self employed. The figures provided exclude those in receipt of Back to Education Allowance and who were previously in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance.

Jobseekers Benefit is payable for 9 months or 234 days for people with 260 or more PRSI contributions paid. It is paid for 6 months or 156 days for people with fewer than 260 PRSI contributions paid. Given the duration limit on the payment of the scheme, the number who are paid over a continuous period of 3 years or more is negligible with some 15 recipients who are engaged in casual employment.

The Government’s strategy for supporting unemployed people back into work, including those in long term unemployment, is the Pathways to Work 2021-2025 published in July 2021. The strategy aims to restore unemployment back to or below pre-pandemic levels, while targeting better employment outcomes for all.

I trust that this clarifies the position at this time.