Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have some figures on the basic supplementary allowance. My apologies; the first question was on the PUP so I will begin with that. The amount paid in PUP this week was €15.2 million. I can provide the committee with a full sheet giving a detailed breakdown of who is on the payment from the different sectors. The main sector is accommodation and food services, in which the number of payments is 12,326. That is followed by wholesale and retail, with 9,647 payments. Payments in administrative and support service activities stand at 6,776. That gives an idea of the different sectors in which people are unemployed and still on the PUP.

On the exceptional needs or supplementary welfare allowance, the Government announced a package last week to help people experiencing difficulties with the cost of living. As members know, the Department agreed to pay a €125 payment to those in receipt of the fuel allowance. The supplementary welfare allowance is available for those who need support. I take this opportunity to encourage everybody who is experiencing difficulty and needs help to contact his or her community welfare officer. People can do that by phone or they can arrange for an officer to call to their house or meet them face to face. If people are having problems, they should contact their community welfare officer. We have put community welfare officers on notice to inform people who may call to them that those supports are available.

The Deputy asked about the essential needs payments. There has been a steady decline in the number of essential needs payments paid to customers each month in the period from November 2019 to date. In December 2019, 7,935 essential needs payments were paid. In January 2022, the number of such payments was 3,596. The anticipated increase in demand for essential needs payments did not materialise. Arising from the cost-of-living increases, officers administering the scheme have been advised that for individuals and households dependent on income support payments from the Department or those working on low incomes, or both, the increased cost of living due to inflation and rising energy costs may present a significant financial challenge and it is likely many may seek additional financial support under the supplementary welfare allowance schemes to assist in meeting the increased costs of daily life. Our community welfare officers are on notice and are there to help.

The Deputy also asked about parent's benefit. Policy in respect of that benefit and parent's leave resides in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. We increased that by a further two weeks in the budget. On the take-up of parent's benefit, we reckon that about 30,000 people are benefiting. We have increased its duration from five to seven weeks for parents of children under two years of age.

The Deputy mentioned companies that have been on business supports and may not survive and asked what we are doing in that regard. We provide the pathways to work programme and many different supports to help people get back to other work. We have been working in conjunction with the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, on upskilling and retraining. All those supports are available to help people get back into the workplace.