Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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147. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if support is available to businesses to retain seasonal staff during their off-peak seasons. [13316/23]

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The matter of supports for the retention of seasonal staff comes under the remit of the Department of Social Protection.

The supports available to such businesses come in the form of supports for employees.

Short-Time Work Support is available to assist employees in cases where their working days are reduced by their employer on a temporary basis. This provision is available under Jobseeker’s Benefit and is non-taxable. To qualify for Short -Time Work Support a person must meet all of the qualifying conditions for Jobseeker's Benefit including the PRSI contribution conditions.

Short-Time work means the number of days systematically worked in a working week is less than the number of days which is normal in a working week in the employment concerned. There must be a clear repetitive pattern of work each week. The days worked each week do not have to be the exact same days, but the work pattern must remain consistent. If systematic pattern of working arrangements no longer apply to a person, such cases are re-classified as either a part-time or casual worker.

The Department of Social Protection administers a statutory Redundancy Payment Scheme which is a payment from the Social Insurance Fund to an employee where an employer is unable to make a statutory redundancy payment.

If an employer is unable to pay an employee’s statutory redundancy payment, an application can be submitted by the employer on behalf of the employee to the department for payment to be made through the Redundancy Payment Scheme.