Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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593. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the situation in which self-employed people are being transitioned to the jobseeker's payment (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14115/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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As the economy has now fully reopened with the removal of trading restrictions the Government has agreed the winding down of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and the transfer of recipients to standard social welfare terms.  

At this time PUP recipients are being paid at a maximum weekly rate of €208 which aligns with the standard maximum jobseekers payment.  PUP recipients who remain in receipt of the support at the end of this month will start transitioning to standard jobseeker terms. Those eligible for jobseekers will move onto a jobseeker payment from 5 April 2022.

To be eligible for Jobseekers Benefit or Jobseekers Benefit Self Employed a person must satisfy all the qualifying conditions of the statutory scheme. In the case of Jobseekers Benefit Self Employed a person must have permanently ceased their previous self employment and satisfy the relevant contribution requirements. The social insurance condition requires that self employed people have at least 156 weeks of Class S contributions or at least 104 weeks of paid Class A or H PRSI since first starting work and 52 weeks of Class S contributions paid in the General Contribution Year (GCY). The GCY is the second-last complete tax year before the year in which a claim is made. So, for claims made in 2022, the relevant tax year is 2020.

The Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Act 2020, provides, amongst other measures, for the attribution of social insurance contributions to insured persons who were beneficiaries of certain Covid-19 income support payments including PUP. 

If a self-employed customer was entitled to and in receipt of PUP, or a jobseeker’s payment in lieu of PUP,  and was not liable to make a self-employment contribution in respect of the 2020 contribution year, they have been attributed 52 self-employment contributions in respect of that year. The issue of a person not having sufficient contributions for 2020 should not generally arise, unless for example in the case of a person who did not file an annual return of income to Revenue in line with the deadline.

If the Deputy is aware of a specific case, he should provide the details to the Department for review. 

Where a person, including those engaged in self-employment, does not satisfy the conditionality for receipt of Jobseekers Benefit they may apply for means tested Jobseeker's Allowance.

I trust that this clarifies the position.