Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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557. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when a decision will be made in relation to an application by workers of a company (details supplied) for a casual-docket jobseeker's payment while they were in receipt of temporary wage subsidy scheme support; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38064/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The priority for my Department up to now has been to ensure that payments are being made currently to workers of a company (details supplied). To date over 3,200 claims have been put into payment in respect of employees who have applied for a jobseeker's payment. This work is now complete and work commenced last week on applications in respect of the period pre-September when the Temporary Wage Subsidy scheme was in payment. Each individual claim is being assessed on an individual basis for each employee involving a detailed examination of the specific work patterns and remuneration arrangements in place.

Entitlement to a casual jobseeker's or short-time work support payment for any day during that period depends, among other things, on whether or not a person received remuneration from their employer for that day. Each case needs to be examined individually to determine if the remuneration paid by the company concerned was in respect of a complete period or only specific days within a period. This will determine if a person may be entitled to a casual jobseeker's payment in respect of the days on which a person did not work.

A process has been agreed with the company that any outstanding information required to finalise decisions on social welfare entitlements will be provided by the company to their employees as quickly as possible.

However, because of the volume and complexity of claims involved and the need to go back to individual claimants, the process will take some time.

Once a decision is made on a particular claim, the Department will notify that claimant of the outcome and it will be open to any person who is not satisfied with this decision to seek a review or to appeal that decision to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.