On 5th August the Pandemic Unemployment Payment was introduced as a Statutory Scheme. To be eligible for payment a person must satisfy all qualifying conditions of the scheme. In the case of a self- employed person their trading income must have either ceased due to the impact of Covid-19 or their self-employment income must have been reduced to €960 or less over a rolling 8- week period.
Where a company is refusing to pay a contractor for goods supplied, that is an issue between the contractor and the company concerned and is a matter of law irrespective of the reason being advanced by the company. It would not be appropriate for my Department to comment on such matters.
I trust that this clarifies the position for the Deputy.