Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

482. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) was not paid the double week in January when they were in receipt of a payment, who was switched automatically to jobseeker's benefit until 13 February; if the case will be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16528/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The January bonus was paid to recipient's of a long term Social Welfare Payment. Long Term are customers with over 312 paid days from this Department.

Persons in receipt of Jobseeker's Benefit from are entitled to either 156 or 234 paid days only and therefore would not have an entitlement to the January Bonus, unless it was linked to Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) within 26 weeks, which was not the case for the Person Concerned.

The Person Concerned was in receipt of:

Jobseeker's Benefit from 19/07/20203 to 25/10/2023 (65 paid days).

Carer's Benefit from 13/07/2023 to 17/01/2024 (162 paid days with overlap of previous payment).

Jobseeker's Benefit 18/01/2024 to 12/02/2024 (24 paid days).

At the time of the January Bonus the Person Concerned had 74 paid days paid on Jobseeker's Benefit and so was not qualified for the payment.