Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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434. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the issue of family carers who are in receipt of the lowest level of the pandemic unemployment payment who will cease to receive the payment from 7 September 2021 and will be unable to apply for jobseeker's allowance despite not having returned to their part-time work yet; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37161/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The PUP was introduced as an exceptional measure for employees and the self- employed who lost employment as a direct consequence of Covid-19. 

This week just over 211,000 people received the PUP, representing a drop of over 270,000 from a peak of 482,000 recipients in February this year. As more and more people return to work every week due to the gradual lifting of restrictions and continued progress on the roll out of vaccines, the requirement for emergency measures is diminishing. As the economy re-opens, it is important to transition from emergency pandemic supports to standard social welfare supports.

To allow as much time as possible for the economy to recover and employments to reopen, there will be no change to the PUP rate until 7th September when it will be gradually reduced on a tapered basis, over a 6 month period until February 2022, back to jobseekers terms.

As PUP recipients go on to the €203 rate during this period they will be transitioned to standard jobseeker terms with the normal eligibility criteria for jobseekers applied.  In the case of those in receipt of another weekly social welfare payment, including carers, they will be contacted by the Department in September and, where they do not return to employment, will transition from PUP. 

I trust that this clarifies the position for the Deputy.  

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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435. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if taxi drivers are to be allowed stay on the pandemic unemployment payment until February 2022; the way this will work in practice; if there will be a reduction in payments or some transition to a jobseeker’s payment; the way this will work given the fact that taxi drivers are self-employed and not seeking a job; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37169/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The PUP was introduced as an exceptional measure for employees and the self- employed who lost employment as a direct consequence of Covid-19.  To allow as much time as possible for the economy to recover and employments to re-open, there will be no change to the PUP rate until 7th September when it will be gradually reduced on a tapered basis, over a 6 month period until February 2022, back to Jobseekers terms.

From September the current PUP rates will begin to be gradually reduced on a phased basis in increments of €50 per week.  Two further phases of rate changes are scheduled to take place from 16th November 2021 and 8th of February 2022.

As PUP recipients go on to the €203 rate in each phase, which is aligned with the maximum personal weekly rate of jobseekers, they will be transitioned to standard jobseeker terms commencing from this September. This applies to all PUP recipients including taxi drivers. As public health restrictions are lifted and the economy gradually returns to normal it is important to transition from emergency pandemic supports to standard jobseekers supports.

Where a person is due to transition to a jobseeker’s payment the Department will contact them in advance and the individual will be given the opportunity to claim a standard jobseeker payment and have their claim assessed before their transition from the PUP.

A self-employed person may be entitled to Jobseeker's Allowance depending on their earnings from their business or if they are fully unemployed they may have an entitlement to the social insurance based Jobseeker's Benefit for the self-employed.

Self-employed PUP recipients who continue to be eligible for PUP, including taxi drivers, may take up some limited self-employment.  A person can earn up to €960 over an eight week period and maintain their full PUP; this figure is net of expenses.  Furthermore, if a self-employed person takes up limited self-employment of up to 24 hours per week they can retain income support under the Part Time Job Incentive and a single person will be paid €128.60 per week.  There is no income limit applied in these cases. The extension of the Part Time Job Incentive to self employed people will continue until the end of the current year.

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 since 1 June 2021 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.

The income supports provided by my Department are available to all those unemployed and are not provided on a sectoral basis. On 9th June 2021 the Minister for Transport, Eamonn Ryan TD announced a €6.5 million support package for the Small Public Service Vehicle Industry (SPSV). 

I trust that this clarifies the position for the Deputy.