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

We also have to be fair about these schemes and look at all the people who have been on the standard jobseeker's payment since before the pandemic. As I said, I cannot have sector-specific social welfare payments. That has always been the case. To be fair, the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, has worked very closely with this sector and a good deal of supports have been made available through the Government. I am happy to engage with the sector, as always, but I have been very clear that I cannot have a specific support that looks at just one sector and not at another. Anything we do in social welfare is across the board. These payments have been available for a year and a half, as I said, and they will continue until next February, which will be almost two years from their introduction.

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