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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SECURITY BY SENATOR S.C. FERGUSON
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 1ST NOVEMBER 2016
Question
How many people, having worked in Jersey for 10 years, have subsequently left the Island and returned later in life and now receive benefits administered by the Department (not including the old age pension)? Will the Minister list for the last 5 years the numbers of such people, the countries from which they returned and their nationalities, if this is different?
Answer
All tax-funded benefits now include a residence test as part of the eligibility criteria. The main tax-funded benefit is Income Support. This is available to those who have lived in Jersey for the last five years without a break. It is also available to someone who has previously lived in Jersey for at least ten years, but has then left the Island and subsequently returned. There are additional rules for those who have completed at least 5 years of residence and then left the Island for no more than 5 years.
Time spent in Jersey by a seasonal worker does not count towards these periods. Nor can an individual include time spent under a custodial sentence.
Every claimant and adult participant must pass the residence test to receive income support benefits. The 2015 Departmental Report (R.104/2016) provides a breakdown of the nationality of working-age Income Support claimants, which is similar to the overall nationality breakdown of all working-age adults registered with Social Security.
Other tax-funded benefits also have 5 and 10 year qualifying periods as follows:
Benefit | Residence Requirement |
65+ Health Plan | 5 years residency immediately before the claim |
Child Personal Care Benefit | The same residency criteria as Income Support |
Christmas Bonus | 5 years residency immediately before the claim |
Cold Weather Bonus | Receiving a Jersey Old Age Pension or 10 years residency immediately before the claim |
Food Costs Bonus | 5 years residency immediately before the claim |
The Social Security Fund provides benefits to people who satisfy specific conditions and have paid Social Security contributions for a required period of time. Mainly to help people when they are less likely to be able to support themselves through employment, including maternity, sickness and old age.
These benefits are not linked directly to a residency period. Contribution conditions vary depending on the type of benefit claimed. In order to qualify for a contributory benefit, the minimum contribution requirement is three months contributions paid above the lower earnings threshold, plus contributions paid in the relevant quarter which is dependent on the date of the claim.
Long Term Care benefit is paid from the Long Term Care Fund. This scheme requires 10 years residency immediately before the claim, or 10 years residency continuously as an adult in the past and one year immediately before applying.
The details of the way in which each applicant passed the residency test are included within the written notes made on each claim but each record would need to be checked individually to provide an analysis of the exact nature of their eligibility.