Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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354. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if any financial assistance is available to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44789/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Jobseeker's Benefit for the Self-Employed (JBSE) is a payment for people between 18 and 66 who become fully or partly unemployed and have paid enough PRSI (Pay-Related Social Insurance) contributions.

To qualify for JBSE a person must:

• be under pension age (which is currently 66) • satisfy the PRSI contribution conditions • not be engaged in self-employment• be capable of working and available for full-time work• be genuinely seeking work• prove unemployment in the prescribed manner

A person who is receiving JBSE can work as an employee, in insurable employment, for up to 3 days a week and still get Jobseeker’s Benefit for the Self-Employed for the other days if they are available for full-time work.

Jobseekers Allowance (JA) is a means-tested payment made to people who are unemployed and who do not qualify for JB or who choose to apply for JA instead of JB. A means test is an assessment of all of the applicants household income, savings, shares, investments, or property that they own, apart from their own home. A means test will also include any income that their spouse, civil partner or cohabitant has. A self-employed person may be entitled to JA depending on their earnings from their business, as their income must be below a certain level in order to qualify for this payment. The earnings from the persons business will be assessed in the means test for JA. A self-employed person in these circumstances does not need to close their business or stop working as self-employed to get Jobseeker’s Allowance.

As the person concerned has not applied for a Jobseeker’s payment, my officials have sent a JBSE application form and a JA application form to their home address. The completed application form, along with any relevant supporting documentation should be returned to Clondalkin Intreo Centre for processing.

A person applying for a Jobseeker's payment must have authenticated their identity to SAFE Level 2 before their claim can be paid. The SAFE registration process, which my Department uses to validate a person's identity, is a face-to-face process which results in the issuing of a Public Services Card (PSC). My officials have contacted the person directly and arranged for them to attend the Clondalkin Intreo Centre for a PSC appointment on 17/10/2023.

I trust this clarifies the matter.