2057. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Social Protection if he has considered reviewing the current social welfare eligibility rules for PME students who are unemployed during the summer months, having worked as substitute teachers throughout the school year, and consider providing financial support to those who are available for and seeking work. [62329/26]

The Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) grant, administered by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, represents the primary financial support available to people pursuing third-level education.

The principal social welfare schemes for people who are unable to find full-time employment are the social insurance contribution-based Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit and Jobseeker's Benefit schemes, and Jobseeker's Allowance, which is means-tested.

Social welfare legislation provides that a person must satisfy the conditions of being available for full-time work and genuinely seeking work in order to qualify for a jobseeker's payment. A person who does not satisfy these conditions is not entitled to receive such a payment.

A person undertaking a full-time course of study, instruction or training is disqualified from receipt of a jobseeker's payment. Postgraduate Master of Education (PME) students are subject to the same legislative provisions as other third-level students. This disqualification extends to holiday periods, including the summer months.

However, the disqualification does not apply in the case of mature students during the period between two academic years. During this period, a mature student may apply for a jobseeker's payment, subject to satisfying the standard qualifying conditions, including being available for full-time work and genuinely seeking employment.

I have no plans at present to amend the legislative provisions governing entitlement to jobseeker's payments for full-time students, including PME students.

I trust that this clarifies the position for the Deputy.