James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

582. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will examine the circumstances of a person (details supplied) in respect of the payment of the pandemic unemployment payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1469/21]

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

The person concerned submitted an application for a Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) on 24/3/2020 confirming his last day worked was 06/03/2020.  A PUP was awarded at the weekly rate of €350 in line with the scheme guidelines at that time.

From 29/06/2020 the PUP rate was revised and where a person had no earnings in 2018 or 2019 (for self-employed) and in 2019 or January to September 2020 (for employees), a rate of €203 per week is applied.

In the case of the person concerned, the review of his PUP rate based on data from the Revenue Commissioners found he had no record of relevant PRSI contributions paid at Classes A, E, H, P or S in 2018, 2019 and 2020.  The rate of €203 is therefore correct.

If the person concerned is currently experiencing financial difficulties it is open to him to contact the Community Welfare Service at Newbridge Intreo Centre to seek assistance under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (Supplements) Scheme where his circumstances will be assessed.  Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, my Department can make a single Exceptional Needs Payment to help meet essential, once-off expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income.  There is no automatic entitlement to these payments which are payable at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme, taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case, in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.  The Community Welfare Service can be contacted by phone at (087) 7806165 or by email at KildareCWS@welfare.ie.

I trust this clarifies the matter.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

583. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will extend the average earnings reference period for the pandemic unemployment payment beyond the end of September 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1515/21]

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

As the Deputy is aware, the rate of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is linked to a person's previous average weekly earnings.

Last November,I secured Government approval to extend the 2020 earnings reference period for employees to September 2020.  This change, which is effective from 2 October,  meant that people who only commenced employment after February 2020 but were laid-off in October due to increased restrictions can have their payment rate fixed by reference to their earnings in the period March to September 2020. 

As a result of extending the reference period to the end of September 2020, some 37,430 receiving PUP on 17 November received an increase in their rate of payment.

There are no plans to extend the average earnings reference period beyond September 2020 at this time.

The Deputy will also be aware that  that the Government has approved my proposal to keep the Pandemic Unemployment Payment at its current rates of payment until March 31st 2021, over a year after its introduction. When the Pandemic Unemployment Payment was introduced last March, it was intended to be in place for just a 12 week period.

Over €5 Billion has been paid out on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment to date. While this is a huge sum of money it was absolutely the right thing to do in order to ensure that the incomes of hundreds of thousands of people have been protected during a period of unprecedented difficulty for our country.

I hope that this clarifies matters for the Deputy.