Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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511. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if employees paid under the temporary wage subsidy scheme from March to September 2020 are entitled to receive the short-time work support payment from her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34891/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme and the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme are different schemes meaning that entitlement to a concurrent jobseeker payment under the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme does not imply the same entitlement under the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme.

Section 28(5)(h) of the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 provides that where the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) applies in relation to a specified employee for any week, the specified employee shall not be entitled to any benefit or payment, related to Covid-19, from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection for that week. This has been the case since the TWSS was first introduced at the onset of the pandemic.

Decisions around individual entitlements to jobseeker's claims for periods where the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme was being availed of by the employer will depend on meeting the eligibility conditions, including satisfying the Department with regard to weeks/days of unemployment, including that no remuneration was payable for any such day of unemployment.

Applications in respect of this period are assessed on an individual basis involving a detailed examination of the specific work patterns and remuneration arrangements in place.

I trust that this clarifies the position at this time.