Séamus Healy (Tipperary, Workers and Unemployed Action Group)
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452. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the status of a company (details supplied) regarding redundancy repayments; when redundancy payments will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22595/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The purpose of the Redundancy Payments Scheme is to compensate workers, under the Redundancy Payments Acts 1967 to 2013, for the loss of their jobs by reason of redundancy. An eligible employee is entitled to two weeks statutory redundancy payment for every year of service, plus a bonus week. Compensation is based on the worker’s length of reckonable service and reckonable weekly remuneration, subject to a ceiling of €600 per week and applicants must meet the scheme qualifying requirements. Payments are made from the Social Insurance Fund, which is mostly funded from employee and employer PRSI contributions.

A liquidator was appointed to the company on 13 June, 2016. When a company goes into liquidation, the liquidator takes the place of the employer for the purposes of administering redundancy payments.

Before payments can be made under the Redundancy Payments Scheme, the liquidator must provide certain information to the Department of Social Protection, including the Deed of Appointment certified by the Companies Registration Office, a Statement of Affairs at the date of liquidation, and applications on behalf of individual employees, with the information provided certified by the liquidator as being correct based on the books and records of the company.

My Department is liaising with the liquidator on these matters and redundancy claims for the former employees of the company will be processed once all the required information is received. It is anticipated that payment in respect of these claims will be made within four weeks.

I hope that this clarifies matters for the Deputy.