Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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157. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will increase expenditure on the pandemic unemployment payment in the event that further restrictions are required. [32502/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) has proven to be a vital support to people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic. To date, Government has spent some €8 billion on the scheme, demonstrating its commitment to workers impacted by the pandemic.

On 1^stJune Government announced its National Economic Recovery Plan to support the reopening of the country as it recovers from Covid-19. As the vaccine program is continuing at pace and restrictions are lifted and the economy reopens it is timely to set out the approach to regularising payments in the months ahead to reflect the facts that more jobs are becoming available and the requirement for exceptional measures is diminishing. To allow as much time as possible for employment to recover, a transitional approach will be taken with payments reduced on a tapered basis over 6 months from September.

This position would be reviewed in the event that further restrictions were required and considered in the context of the circumstances presented at that time.

I trust that this clarifies the position for the Deputy.