Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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76. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of applicants that were receiving the €350 Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment that have had the amount reduced in recent weeks; and the total amount reduced. [19019/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The two-tier PUP payment structure was introduced for the payment week of July 7th 2020.  As the Deputy will be aware, this was introduced in order to better align the payments with prior earnings and those in receipt of the lower rate are continuing to receive a higher rate of payment than they were earning from employment. 

Number of recipients of a €203 pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) in each of the weeks 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th of July 2020

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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77. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons receiving the pandemic unemployment payment; the way in which the figure compares with the number receiving the payment at its peak; the steps that will be taken to support persons to move off the payment and return to work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18798/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Since the launch of the pandemic unemployment scheme, a total of 700,700 people have received at least one payment.  The most recent payment week (July 21st) saw 286,900people receiving the payment, which represents a fall of 52% since the peak of 602,100 payments recorded on the week of May 5th 2020.

The July Jobs Stimulus Package contains a number of measures for the provision of supports to recipients of the payment while they look for work.  Given the unprecedented scale of job losses, I have secured an additional €112m in funding for a significant ramping up in the delivery of employment services to workers, which will include 45,500 new places on schemes and services. 

This funding will be used to:

- Expand the paid Work Placement Programme - currently known as the Youth Employment Support Scheme - to extend the duration of the scheme and to increase the number of places and make them available not just to young people but to all workers who remain unemployed. 

- Increase the number of employment services staff in the Department, and also expand use of contracted services to ensure that unemployed jobseekers have access to a an employment advisor/case officer.

- Improve and extend the recruitment subsidy for employers who hire people from the Live Register – the subsidy will be payable when employer recruit people from PUP with special provision for the early recruitment of people aged under 30 (currently this provision is limited to people aged under 25).

- Extend the training grants scheme to increase the maximum grant payable to jobseekers to fund participation in a job-relevant short training course from €500 to €1,000.

- Extend access to the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance Scheme and the Back to Education Allowance scheme to people on PUP.

- Increase the number of places on State Employment Schemes such as Community Employment and Tús to act as a temporary bridge to provide occupational activity and employment experience to people during the recovery period.

These measures are intended to provide an inclusive pathway back to employment, ensuring that every effort is made to return people to work.