Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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1127. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of young persons under 25 years of age on the pandemic unemployment payment by county in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9342/20]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The information requested by the Deputy is in the table.

I am advised that the Central Statistics Office (CSO) publish breakdowns on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) weekly, at https://www.cso.ie/en/statistics/labourmarket/liveregister/detailedcovid-19incomesupportandliveregistertables/

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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1128. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of pandemic unemployment payment recipients disaggregated by their previous net weekly pay in intervals of €10 and then €50, using the data that informed page 4 of the report that was published by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Economic Considerations for Reinstating the Economic Activity. [9344/20]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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In response to the Covid-19 crisis, the Government introduced a range of income, employment and business support measures including the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS). These have largely cushioned the income shock experienced by workers whose employers had to cease or scale back activities and have, importantly, helped buttress public support for the restrictive public health measures necessary to contain Covid-19.

The PUP payment of €350 was introduced as an exceptional measure on a temporary basis and was set at a flat rate level of €350 per week for a number of reasons:

- Administrative simplicity in order to ensure that the unprecedented number of applicants could be put into payment quickly (with certainty as to their future income stream);

- The provision of a level of income support that would help insulate people against an income shock and, in so doing, to buttress support for the restrictive public health measures.

The rate of €350 is broadly equivalent to the two-person household rate for the main social welfare payments and is also broadly equivalent to average take-home pay levels in the sectors most immediately affected by the restrictions (Hospitality and Retail).

As indicated by research from the ESRI and the CSO, this approach insulated the vast majority of people, and in particular lower paid workers, from a severe income shock. Undoubtedly, this has been a major factor in securing and sustaining public, including business, support for the restrictive public health measures. The payments disbursed will also help consumption expenditure recover as businesses re-open.

The income distribution of PUP recipients sought by the Deputy are provided in the tables. Note that the information provided in these tables is based on PAYE data for early 2020 and excludes self-employed recipients. Due to the low numbers of recipients with a weekly income of less than €50, the €10 intervals are provided from €50 onwards.

Figures are as of May 24th 2020.

Broken down in €10 intervals:

Broken down in €50 intervals: