Dáil debates

Wednesday, 15 September 2021

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

11:00 pm

Photo of Donnchadh Ó LaoghaireDonnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In recent days, we have received many phone calls from parents of children who have had to self-isolate. It is important to stress that in such incidents, the parents are not necessarily close contacts themselves but are the parents of children who are close contacts. Accordingly, they cannot qualify for enhanced illness benefit and are not eligible for the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP. Some will have employers that are reasonable, thank God, and they will work with them and so on, but some are in difficult circumstances, particularly those on low and middle incomes or in insecure employment. This has been discussed for about a year and we have been raising the need to provide leave for parents and to support them financially where their children have to stay home from school because they are self-isolating.

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