Wexford County Council Chairman Michael Sheehan (Fianna Fail) is calling on the Minister for Social Protection to extend a Jobseekers/welfare payment to students who would otherwise be in employment but for the COVID-19 regulations.

Mr Sheehan says in the letter to the Minister:

“Due to the pandemic, many students will have no place of employment and need to generate the income for College. They would be jobless with no potential income for the summer months. 
As it stands, someone completing Post Primary or College would not be entitled to apply as they are deemed to be in full time education or less than 3 months completed. You can see, with no Hotel or Tourism industry in operation, how many young people will have no visible means of income or any prospect of generating income to keep them going over the College year.“

The issue of student seasonal work is an area which the government has yet to address. Many students will have been in employment during summer holidays, or weekend seasonal work from March/April onwards in previous years, and would have expected to do the same this year. There was no provision made to compensate people in these situations.

A person due to begin work after March 13th is being neglected, simply because of the timing of the pandemic.

Cllr Sheehan appeals to the Minister:

“If you would consider accepting applications from Post Primary or College students with the same criteria that Further Education/ Youthreach would have, then I think you would be able to assure thousands of students of an income while the economy recovers and they prepare for college “