Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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634. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated first-year and full-year cost of equalising rates of jobseeker’s allowance, jobseeker’s benefit and jobseeker’s pay-related benefit for those under the ages of 18 to 24. [25924/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Age-related rates apply to 18 to 24 year old's in receipt of the means-tested Jobseeker's Allowance scheme and do not apply to Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit or Jobseeker’s Benefit. The standard maximum weekly rates under the benefit schemes are €450 and €244 respectively subject to previous earnings and PRSI contributions.

Age-related reduced rates on Jobseeker's Allowance are designed to prevent long-term welfare dependency. If a young jobseeker participates in education or training, they receive up to the maximum personal rate of Jobseeker’s Allowance of €244. If they participate on the Work Placement Experience Programme the weekly rate increases up to €359.

As of end of quarter one 2025, the number of jobseekers aged 18 to 24 years who are in receipt of the age-related rate of jobseeker’s allowance of €153.70 per week is 9,047.

The estimated full-year cost of increasing the age-related jobseeker’s rate of €153.70 to the full personal rate of €244 is approximately €42.5 million based on the figure provided and the rate of payment in 2025.

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.