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

To clarify, I will look at a pay-related support for people who are made unemployed. This is something to which we must give consideration. Such a scheme is the right thing to do, but it will take some time to design that system. We will take the lessons from the PUP. I am committed to developing a pay-related benefit whereby someone gets a percentage of his or her earnings upon losing a job. This would help to avoid the income cliff edge. When I worked in the credit union, I saw how people's incomes dropped suddenly when they lost their jobs. It was very difficult for them. This is a question of how to help people overcome that initial shock. There is a role for a pay-related benefit and it is something that I am committed to considering in order to find a solution.

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