William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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614. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will commit to introducing a fair and standardised system of income support for part-time school bus drivers during school closures (details supplied); if he will work with the Department of Education and the Department of Transport to develop an advance or automatic payment mechanism that recognises school closures as part of the normal working year, ensuring dignity and financial security for these essential workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38769/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Part time school bus drivers who are not paid outside of school term time and who apply for a social welfare payment are included as Educational Sector Workers (ESWs). ESWs who wish to avail of income support while temporarily laid-off during the school breaks can apply for a jobseeker’s payment. A jobseeker’s payment is paid for days of unemployment that the person is not being remunerated for by their employer, including receipt of any holiday pay entitlement during the school break.

The person applying must satisfy all the qualifying conditions to receive a payment. This includes completing the relevant claim application forms and providing supporting documentation in a timely manner while also being available for full-time work and genuinely seeking work at each school break.

Jobseeker claims are closed for all jobseekers, including ESWs, when a person returns to employment. However ESWs who have previously had a claim with my Department are issued with a repeat jobseeker’s application form and a holiday entitlement form in advance of the school holiday periods. This advance process facilitates an efficient service to these customers and allows for speedy processing of their claims when the period of unemployment actually arises.

Over the last number of years my Department has dedicated teams working solely on Education Sector Workers claims in order to streamline processes and minimise delays for people. My Department also frequently engages with other stakeholders including the Department of Education to ensure the timely processing of claims. As each claim is assessed individually, and each person's employment history, including previous claims is different, the payment due will vary from person to person. The large volume of jobseeker's claims received at the school breaks means that some decisions on these claims may take a number of weeks to process. If any customer is in urgent financial need my Department’s Community Welfare Service may provide assistance while they wait for their claim to be processed.

I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.