Tony McCormack (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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107. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the financial or in-work incentives currently available to support individuals in County Offaly transitioning from welfare into employment, particularly in low-income or part-time roles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20775/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides a range of financial supports for people transitioning to employment, including part-time working. The Intreo teams in Tullamore and Edenderry are available to assist customers in relation to the supports appropriate to their particular circumstances. Key supports include the following:

A person can work up to three days and continue to receive a partial jobseeker’s payment with disregards applied to the earnings. The part-time job incentive scheme is an administrative scheme under Jobseeker's Allowance, which facilitates part-time employment for up to 24 hours per week. The new Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit scheme is available while an employee is fully unemployed and seeking new employment.

In addition, my Department provides the Working Family Payment for employees with children on low incomes and the Back to Work Family Dividend for families who move from social welfare to employment. In the case of those parenting alone, the first €165 per week of gross earnings is disregarded in the means assessment under the One-Parent Family Payment and half the balance is assessed as means.

Intreo staff in Tullamore and Edenderry offer an individualised employment service to identify steps the jobseeker should take to progress to sustainable employment. There is a wide range of supports on offer in terms of further education, training, upskilling, as well as the Work Placement Experience Programme, Community Employment and TUS to support people to obtain or retain employment.

Intreo Employment Services are also available to people on a voluntary, walk-in, basis such as customers in receipt of other social welfare payments, people not in receipt of a payment, part-time workers who want to increase their hours and people who are employed or looking to change job or career.

I trust that this clarifies the position for the Deputy.