78822 (2024). Ricardo Menéndez March to the Minister for Social Development and Employment

78822 (2024). Ricardo Menéndez March to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What, if any, are the reasons why voluntary unemployment stand downs imposed on working age main benefit clients are more than twenty times higher in the quarters ending March, June, and September 2024 than during the same quarters in 2023?

Hon Louise Upston: I am advised by the Ministry of Social Development (the Ministry) that the Ministry’s reporting has improved since this data was last provided. The Ministry’s reporting now captures voluntary unemployment stand downs that were imposed and subsequently waived. In the spirit of transparency, I have now provided the Member with data which shows the stand downs that have been waived. This explains the increase the Member has referred to. I refer the Member to the attached tables, which provide the number of Voluntary Unemployment Stand Downs imposed on working age main benefit clients each quarter from 1 January 2017 to 30 September 2024, by total response ethnicity, age band, gender, reason and benefit type.