Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
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448. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of the calculation of a payment for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16488/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department is currently managing a large number of review requests for the PUP rerate at this time and for this reason we are not in a position to respond to enquiries as promptly as we would like.

Following a review of the person’s record, I am pleased to inform you that his PUP has been re-rated back to €350 per week. Any arrears due will issue this week.

I trust this clarifies the matter.

Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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449. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when a person (details supplied) will receive a decision on their possible entitlement to the pandemic unemployment payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16494/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Where a person’s gross weekly earnings were €200 or higher then there is no change to the rate of the pandemic unemployment payment. If a person’s gross weekly earnings were under €200 then the rate of the pandemic unemployment payment has been adjusted to €203 per week which is in line with the standard personal rate of jobseeker's benefit. Where no earnings data was available, either as an employee or a self-employed person, the rate of PUP was reduced to €203 per week.

Any person who feels that the assessment of their earnings, based on returns already submitted to Revenue, is inaccurate can ask for a review of their case. However, it is important to note that my Department will only accept earnings which have been notified to Revenue and subject to PRSI. Customers should clearly understand that any information which is supplied to declare additional earnings will be matched against Revenue records and any discrepancies will be followed up.

In the case of the person concerned, no earnings data was found in respect of their previous employment, and their rate of payment was reduced to €203 as a result. Their case is being re-examined in line with the approach outlined above, and a decision will issue to them in due course.

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.