Written answers

Tuesday, 21 July 2020

Department of Finance

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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185. To ask the Minister for Finance the reason employers are not entitled to the temporary wage subsidy for workers who commenced work in early March 2020 and are eligible for the pandemic unemployment payment; his plans to correct the anomaly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17057/20]

Photo of Louise O'ReillyLouise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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186. To ask the Minister for Finance his plans to maintain the temporary wage subsidy scheme for those involved in the entertainment industry until such time as mass gatherings are permitted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17140/20]

Photo of John LahartJohn Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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188. To ask the Minister for Finance his plans to extend the temporary wage subsidy scheme for sectors, employers and self-employed persons that continue to be affected by Covid-19-related measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17308/20]

Photo of Danny Healy-RaeDanny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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194. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will consider extending the temporary wage subsidy scheme to include employees who were not employed by a company in January and February 2020. [16685/20]

Photo of Danny Healy-RaeDanny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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195. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will change the rules of the temporary wage subsidy scheme in order that employees who are now on more hours than they were in January or February 2020 will receive the temporary wage subsidy scheme for all hours worked rather than only for the hours they were working before the lockdown. [16686/20]

Photo of Gerald NashGerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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203. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will oblige firms availing of the temporary wage subsidy scheme to include a compulsory retraining or reskilling plan for their employees as with comparative schemes in other EU countries; if he will consider introducing an in-work training subsidy to support such measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16872/20]

Photo of Danny Healy-RaeDanny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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211. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will consider extending the temporary wage subsidy scheme to include employees who were not employed by a company in January and February 2020 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17164/20]

Photo of Paschal DonohoePaschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 185, 186, 188, 194, 195, 203 and 211 together.

The Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) was introduced in March and was specifically designed to support firm viability and preserve the relationship between the employer and employee insofar as is possible through the lockdown period, in circumstances where the employer’s business had been negatively impacted by COVID-19.

The TWSS is available to employees, whether full-time or part-time, who were on their employer payroll at 29 February 2020. This requirement is set down in Section 28 of the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (COVID-19) Act 2020.

The scheme was developed in a short period of time, having regard to the overarching urgent Government objective of getting assistance to employers and employees quickly.

Since it was introduced, over 50,000 firms have availed of the scheme (which is almost a third of all employers from 2019). Over 500,000 jobs have been directly supported over the period and many more indirectly. This is considerable coverage and it is noted that the value of payments made to date is over €2 billion.

The question of an individual’s entitlements in an employment context, and the question of what wages an employer may or may not be in a position to pay such an employee in light of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the employer’s business, are matters that are outside the remit of the TWSS. The scheme has no role in relation to the employer/employee relationship in so far as the terms, conditions and entitlements of the employment are concerned.

As the public health restrictions are eased, the challenge for the economy and enterprises is evolving. Having regard to the novel circumstances surrounding the re-opening of the economy as well as the need to avoid the risk of forcing otherwise viable firms to close, in July it was announced that the TWSS will remain until the end of August. Work has been ongoing and is at an advanced stage around how best to support employers into the more medium term. The position of various sectors, including the businesses and workers mentioned by the Deputies, will be taken into account in this process. As per the commitment in the Programme for Government, it is planned that the July Jobs Initiative will set out a pathway for the future of the TWSS.

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