Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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882. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if there can be a grace period of reopening for business owners who are on the pandemic unemployment payment and are taking tentative steps to rebuild their business model to reflect this time such as in the case of a person (details supplied). [31235/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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On 1^stJune Government announced it's National Economic Recovery Plan to support the reopening of the country as it recovers from Covid-19. Government acknowledges that some sectors will continue to be impacted and the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) scheme will be extended beyond 30 June 2021 for existing claimants who continue to be eligible for payment. To allow as much time as possible for employment to recover, a transitional approach will be taken with PUP payments reduced on a tapered basis over 6 months from next September. As recipients are placed on to the €203 rate, they will be transferred to standard Jobseeker terms commencing from this September. This will be done over a period of time and with advance notice to individuals impacted.

Where a self- employed person’s business activity is impacted by Covid-19, arrangements remain whereby they may earn up to €960 gross over 8 weeks and retain PUP subject to entitlement to the payment. Similarly the Part Time Job Incentive, which permits self-employed people to take up limited employment up to 24 hours and retain a personal payment of €128.60 per week will continue on its current terms until the end of the year. Alternatively a person may be eligible for support under the Jobseeker's schemes, depending on their circumstances.

The €1,000 Covid-19 Enterprise Support Grant to assist self -employed people to restart their business will continue to be available to self-employed people closing PUP claims until the end of 2021. I recently announced that self-employed people closing their PUP claim to reopen their business will be able to avail of this grant even if they have previously claimed it as part of a reopening in 2020.

I would advise the Deputy to recommend that the person concerned would contact their local Intreo Office to assess the options that may be available to them.