Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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647. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons who have qualified for the new pay related benefit since it was introduced, by county; the average payment rate under the scheme to date; the cost of the scheme to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51718/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit (JPRB) is a payment you can get if you become fully unemployed and who have paid enough pay-related social insurance (PRSI) contributions. You cannot work and get Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit at the same time.

The amount of JPRB you get is directly linked to your earnings from work before you became unemployed. To the end of August 2025, a total of 46,466 claims were registered, with 34,646 claims awarded. At the end of August, there were 20,153 recipients in payment, with a breakdown by county provided in Table 1 below.

The average weekly entitlement value for those with 260+ PRSI contributions is approximately €373, and the average weekly entitlement value for those with 104-259 PRSI contributions is approximately €253. The cost of the scheme to the end of August was €111.4 million.

Table 1: Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit recipients at the end of August 2025, by county