Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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528. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the position in respect of parents in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment in the circumstance in which they have been unable to return to employment due to childcare issues; if the payment remains available until 30 June 2021 as per the information available on her Department’s website; if the return of schools has any bearing on such payment claims; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that her Department has revoked the payment from some parents in this position citing the return of schools as the reason; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23657/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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To date over €7.4 billion has been paid in relation to the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) since its introduction in March 2020, to address the surge in unemployment due to Covid-19.

Employers have a general duty of care towards their workers and that care is often expressed in the form of negotiation, compromise and flexibility. Some of the options considered for workers with caring responsibilities that preclude them from working their normal hours or patterns include allowing employees to work from home, altering shifts or allowing employees to rearrange holidays or parental leave.

When schools and childcare facilities were closed under Covid-19 restrictions and parents were unable to secure childcare or other flexible options and were not being paid by their employer they were advised to apply for PUP. However, as schools and the childcare sector have since re-opened, the PUP is no longer an appropriate financial support.

If any people in these circumstances are experiencing financial difficulties, it is open to them to apply for support under the means tested Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme.

I trust that this clarifies the position for the Deputy.