Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

595. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to reintroduce weekly payments for schemes that introduced fortnightly payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18322/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department introduced a series of measures to maintain social welfare payments while assisting with social distancing measures designed to combat the spread of the Coronavirus. 

Fortnightly payments were introduced in March to minimise the need for people to attend and queue in banks or post offices to collect payments, so helping people restrict their movements to essential activities only.  These were introduced on a ‘payment in advance’ basis so people did not have to wait two weeks for a payment.

The measure was kept under constant review and some payments, such as Maternity Benefit, Paternity Benefit and Parent's Benefit, which are paid exclusively into a customer’s bank account by Electronic Fund Transfer, have reverted to a weekly payment pattern.

In addition, in August, the Department is moving some other payments back to their weekly schedule.  The payments being restored to a weekly schedule include One-Parent Family Payment, Working Family Payment, Illness Benefit, Jobseeker's Allowance and Jobseeker's Benefit.  The majority of these customers will start to receive their weekly payment from the week beginning 17th August, with some receiving their weekly payment from the week beginning the 10th August.