Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Partition is the gift that does not stop giving, or should I say, taking. It has been put on the record that many Northern workers have not been able to avail of the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP. We are obviously talking about people who have paid USC and PRSI in the South. Some of them have only worked in the South, which creates a difficulty with seeking benefits in the North. Luckily, due to the wage subsidy scheme and many good employers, a lot of people have been sorted, but a number of people fall into anomalous situations. Given what the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, said earlier about the wage subsidy scheme I am hopeful that a possible solution can be found for women coming back from maternity leave. I would like to think that it would resolve the issues for some of the clients who have come to us, including some who are Northern workers, who are losing all round, who cannot avail of the PUP payment.

I would like some information on the directives affecting payments. I called the Covid-19 PUP line first and I was told about different directives. They were not sent to me, but rather read out to me. One directive required Northern workers to be paid in this situation. Later that evening or the next day I was told something had changed within the Department. I would like to know what led to that.

I know of a Northern worker who had her own business in the South. She could not avail of the Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme to pay herself and could not avail of benefits in the North. Article 65a of EU Regulation No. 883/2004 provides that people who fall into this particular anomaly should be able to avail of benefits in the state in which they last worked and made contributions. We have already made representations to the Minister's office. I would like to follow up on them.

I would also like to know whether she has been in communication with the European Commission on the decision not to pay out to Northern workers. Is it possible to get the legal advice her Department received in making that determination? The Department will make an argument about practice throughout Europe, but this is an issue specific to Ireland. The Taoiseach is now on record as saying that people from the North would never be left behind again and accepting that this State has a history of doing so. I would like to think we could rectify some of these problems.

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