Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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1024. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the total expenditure and number of claims over the lifetime of the Covid-19-related lay-off payment scheme; the average lump-sum payment to compensate employees made redundant between 13 March 2020 and 31 January 2025 for a Covid-related gap in their employment record; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11575/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Covid-19 Related Lay-off Payment (CRLP) is provided for under section 32A of the Redundancy Payments Act 1967, as amended, and is paid from the Social Insurance Fund.

The scheme ensures that employees who are made redundant, who are eligible for a statutory redundancy payment, and who were placed on temporary lay-off due to Covid-19 public health restrictions are not disadvantaged in the calculation of their redundancy entitlements.

The payment ensures that an employee made redundant receives the same total redundancy payment as if they had not been laid off during the pandemic.

Up to 28 February 2025, the Department has processed approximately 5,000 applications. This has resulted in total payments of €1.75m to approximately 4,400 impacted workers. The average payment is €400.

The amount an eligible worker is entitled to is dependent on the length of time they were placed on temporary lay-off due to COVID-19 before the date they are made redundant. Awards of a claim are based on earnings where the worker was temporarily laid off due to Covid-19 restrictions during the period from 13 March 2020 to 31 January 2022.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.