Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 September 2020
768. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons currently on the full €350 rate of the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment; the number on the lower rate; the number of persons that have had their payment reduced since the rule change; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22573/20]
View answerThe COVID 19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment was introduced in March 2020 as a time-limited emergency measure to meet the surge in unemployment which resulted from the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. To be eligible for this payment a person must have been in employment /self-employment immediately prior to 13th March 2020 and have become fully unemployed or suffered a collapse of income if they are self -employed, due to the downturn in economic activity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and are not being paid by their employer. At its peak, in early May, almost 600,000 people were in receipt of the payment. This number has fallen in the interim as people are enabled to return to work.
The latest data indicates that some 110,730 people who received a payment of €350 before the implementation of the 2-tier structure have received at least one €203 payment. The two-tiered payment structure for the pandemic unemployment payment was implemented by my Department on July 7th 2020.
The latest data available from September 1st 2020 indicates that 166,841 people are now in receipt of the higher payment of €350 while 58,115 people are in receipt of the lower payment of €203.
