Joe Carey
Question:702. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Social Protection if a pandemic unemployment payment application by a person (details supplied) will be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21849/20]
View answerTuesday, 8 September 2020
Questions (702)
Written answers
The Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment was introduced on 16 March 2020 as an emergency income support payment for employees and self-employed people, aged between 18 and under 66, who were in employment or self-employment immediately prior to 13 March 2020 and have lost their employment or self-employment due to the downturn in economic activity as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
To allow for people who may have been on shift work, short time or other atypical work patterns immediately before 13 March 2020, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is payable where the person was employed or self-employed on or after 6 March 2020. In this case, the person concerned last worked on 23 February.
The Pandemic Unemployment Payment was initially established on an emergency ad-hoc basis under the Social Welfare Act and was paid out as an Exceptional Needs Payment. However, the Social Welfare (Covid-19) Amendment Act 2020 places the Pandemic Unemployment Payment on a statutory basis as a stand-alone social welfare scheme. This legislation provides that to qualify for payment, a person must, on or after 13 March 2020, have been an employed contributor in the week immediately before he or she ceased to earn an income from the employment concerned and lost his or her employment as a direct consequence of Covid-19.
The person concerned has provided a statement from their employer confirming that they were available to work at weekends and during holiday periods on a regular basis to suit the business needs. It also states that holiday pay is accrued for hours worked and that the person concerned was eligible for holiday pay on and after 6 March 2020. However, in the absence of any confirmation that on or after 13 March 2020 the person concerned had been an employed contributor in the week immediately before they ceased to earn an income from the employment concerned, they do not satisfy the conditions for receipt of payment. The Deputy will appreciate that it would be impossible to construct a scheme based on claims of potential or prospective but unrealised employment.
I hope that this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
Question No. 703 answered with Question No. 651.