Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 July 2020
767. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the steps being taken to assist the seasonal workers that were not working in March 2020 and therefore unable to claim the pandemic unemployment payment and that are still not working in view of the fact many seasonal businesses did not reopen; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20328/20]
View answer777. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if seasonal hospitality workers that have no work due to the Covid-19 pandemic will be entitled to the pandemic employment payment under the Jobs July Stimulus; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19552/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 767 and 777 together.
The COVID 19 pandemic unemployment payment was introduced as an emergency measure to meet the surge in unemployment which resulted from the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic.
One of the conditions for receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment are that a person must have been in employment immediately before 13th March and lost their income from employment. Where a person was due to take up seasonal employment but they were not in employment immediately prior to 13th March they are not eligible to receive the pandemic unemployment payment. It would be impossible to construct a scheme based on claims of potential or prospective but unrealised employment, particularly where the economy was operating at full-employment with many unfilled vacancies prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
People who do not qualify for the pandemic unemployment payment are eligible to apply for a jobseeker's payment. Jobseeker's benefit is a weekly payment to people who have lost their employment and who satisfy the scheme's statutory conditions including the requirement to have sufficient social insurance contributions paid. Where a person does not qualify or has used up their entitlement to jobseeker's benefit they can apply for the means tested jobseeker’s allowance.
Under the July Stimulus Package, supports for employers for new staff were announced and further information is available at www.revenue.ie.
I trust this clarifies the position.
