Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to compliment the staff in the offices of the Department throughout Cavan and Monaghan and in the regional office in Dundalk on dealing so efficiently with a huge workload in challenging circumstances. From the outset, officials showed their determination to process applications as quickly as possible and they were conscious of the sudden and changed circumstances for so many families. I take this opportunity to compliment them on getting payments out rapidly and efficiently to so many people who needed them at those times. It is important at a time when a substantial cohort of our population is receiving some or all of their income from the State.

Weeks ago, I raised through representation to the Minister and through Covid-19 queries the need to include workers over the age of 66 in any Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment if they met the other conditions. We have listened to different Governments encourage older persons, as Deputy O'Dea said, to stay on in the workforce past reaching the pension age if possible.

I have encountered people on reduced contributory pensions, perhaps working on a part-time basis or running small businesses, who are losing their income. It is utterly wrong that, in the current circumstances, they do not receive a supplement to their existing reduced contributory pension. Some have had small businesses with ongoing costs and no income from those businesses. They find themselves in difficult circumstances. Many are on reduced pensions because of the changes to the assessment of entitlement for a contributory pension introduced in 2012. In many instances, these people were providing services through small shops that would otherwise not be available in many rural communities. People on contributory pensions who lost their employment income should receive a supplementary payment to bring the benefit up to the value of the PUP. In many instances with small businesses, the employees in question are critical to the ongoing running, efficiency and success of the business. The Government quite rightly set out that it wanted to retain the link between employers and employees. It is important at this time - I hope it is not for the long term - that reduced contributory payments be supplemented and brought up to the value of the PUP.

I raised with the Minister previously the unjust administration of the scheme on the basis that cross-Border workers were not entitled to the pandemic unemployment payment here. In the two counties I have the privilege of representing, we see a large number of people who travel to the North or come to the South to work. Those people who come to the South to work, and who pay their taxes and PRSI here, feel very aggrieved that they were not entitled to any payments at this time.

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