Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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425. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will clarify the entitlement of part-time school wardens to jobseeker's allowance during school closures, specifically in relation to bank holiday periods where the employer does not provide payment; and if he will investigate reports of inconsistent treatment of such claims by Intreo offices (details supplied), including cases where long-standing wardens have had payments withheld on the basis of employer misunderstanding or unrelated salary timing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40693/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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School wardens who are not paid by their employer outside of school term time and who apply for a social welfare payment during school closures 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 or bank holiday pay during the school break.

Entitlement to a jobseekers payment for any day depends on, among other things, on whether or not a person received remuneration from their employer, including, bank holidays, for that day. Each case needs to be examined individually to determine the remuneration paid by the employer in respect of any bank holidays within a specific period during school closures. This will determine if a person may be entitled to a jobseeker's payment in respect of the days on which a person did not work and also were not for remunerated for by their employer.

Where a person provides confirmation from their employer that they are not remunerated for bank holidays during school closures these are paid as part of their normal jobseekers entitlement.

This jobseeker's claim has now been reviewed by a Deciding Officer and the person concerned is due payment for the three bank holidays over the last Christmas school closure period. The arrears due will issue. The jobseeker's claim for the Easter school holiday period was reviewed in May and payment for the bank holiday over Easter was issued by cheque.

I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.