Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy has got it wrong. I am happy to set the record straight for her, but by getting it wrong, once again she is the one who has caused stress for a lot of people who are in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment today. It was a payment introduced by a Government that I lead. It amounts to €350 per week, a flat rate and one of the most generous in Europe. I stand over it. Contrast that with Northern Ireland, where Sinn Féin is in office, where the payment is only £100 per week. Contrast it with Spain, where a centre-left party is in coalition with the far left, where the payment is something like €125 per week. I stand over that.

As things stand, the pandemic unemployment payment is due to expire next week. Cabinet will make a decision tomorrow on its future and I can give an assurance to anyone who is in receipt of the payment today that it will be extended for months, not weeks. Those who were working full time prior to the pandemic happening will not see their unemployment payment cut. They will continue to get €350 per week. Some people who were working part time before the pandemic will see their payment reduce, but they will still get more than they were getting on a weekly basis before the pandemic hit in February. Nobody's income will be lower than it was before the pandemic as a consequence of the decision we make tomorrow. The position for seasonal workers remains unchanged.

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