Written answers

Monday, 8 September 2025

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Social Welfare Schemes

Photo of Louise O'ReillyLouise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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1385. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the first year and full year cost of increasing jobseeker’s transitional payment by €1. [46301/25]

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Jobseeker's Transitional Payment is a means tested payment for lone parents, under 66, whose youngest child is aged between seven and thirteen inclusive. The weekly rate of payment is €244.

There are currently some 18,461 recipients of the Jobseeker's Transitional Payment.

The cost of a €1 increase to the weekly rate of payment would be €959,972 per year.

Note, the number of people in receipt of Jobseekers Transitional Payment varies over time and the estimated costing does not take account of any equivalent increase to the One Parent Family Payment.

Photo of Louise O'ReillyLouise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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1386. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the first year and full year cost of increasing the income disregard for jobseekers transitional payment by 10%. [46302/25]

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The full year cost of increasing the disregard for the Jobseeker's Transitional Payment is difficult to estimate with accuracy given labour market dynamics, wage fluctuations, flows into and between schemes, and recipients leaving the scheme as the youngest child in a household reaches 14.

Based on information currently available to my department, the estimated cost of increasing the income disregard by 10%, to €181.50 per week, is approximately €3m euro per year. It should be noted that this estimate is based on current numbers of recipients only.

Photo of Louise O'ReillyLouise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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1387. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the first year and full year cost of increasing the income disregard for working family payment by 10%. [46303/25]

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The full year cost of increasing the Working Family Payment income thresholds is difficult to estimate with accuracy given the dynamics of the labour market and wage fluctuations. It is also challenging to forecast the number of new claimants who would avail of the payment as a result of the increased threshold.

It is not possible to provide a costing for a 10% increase to each Working Family Payment threshold, as this would require costing a different threshold increase for each household size. However, assuming the same threshold increase for all family sizes, in line with increases in recent budgets, a 10% increase to the €705 threshold would equate to a €70.50 increase to the Working Family Payment thresholds. The estimated cost of such an increase across all family sizes is €64m per year. It should be noted, the estimate is based on current numbers of recipients only.

Photo of Louise O'ReillyLouise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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1388. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the first year and full year cost of introducing a part-time rate of job seekers for self employed making less than a 40 hour week at the current minimum wage. [46304/25]

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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One of the qualifying conditions for receipt of Jobseeker's Benefit for the Self-employed requires a person to have ceased self-employment. However, a person who continues their self-employment may qualify for Jobseeker's Allowance, provided that they satisfy the qualifying conditions, including a means test.

Also, a person can work as an employee, in insurable employment, for up to three days a week and still get Jobseeker’s Benefit for the Self-Employed for the other days provided that they are available for full-time work.

It is not possible to provide a costing based on the Deputy's description of the proposal.

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