Chris Andrews (Dublin Bay South, Sinn Fein)
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959. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason the qualifying criteria to apply for the pandemic unemployment payment were changed to state that an applicant had to be genuinely seeking work given the majority of applicants have a job and are waiting to return to their profession as soon as the restrictions are lifted; and if the criteria will be changed to reflect same. [13963/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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On 5th August 2020 the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) was introduced as a statutory scheme and all applicants of the scheme must meet all of its qualifying conditions.  In common with other Jobseeker payments such as Jobseekers Benefit and Allowance, the fundamental condition for receipt of PUP is that the person is available to work but cannot do so because suitable work is not available to them.

I am acutely aware of the difficulties at present to be able to satisfy the Genuinely Seeking Work condition in light of the continuing Public Health restrictions and the evolving nature of the Covid-19 pandemic and its effect on seeking and securing employment.  My Department is taking a pragmatic approach in this regard. 

With this in mind I implemented Regulations under PUP which provide that where due to the ongoing public health restrictions related to Covid-19 a person's opportunity to work in their normal occupation is temporarily curtailed and they have a reasonable expectation of returning to that occupation within 12 months, or a person has a reasonable expectation of returning to their former employment within 12 months, that person will not be required to seek employment outside that occupation or employment.

I trust that this clarifies the position for you at this time.