Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
1188. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to technical glitches occurring for recipients of the pandemic unemployment payment who were asked to fill out forms to confirm eligibility and remain on the payment by 20 July 2021. [41426/21]
View answerMy Department recently made contact with recipients of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and requested that they confirm their continued eligibility to receive the payment. An extensive publicity campaign has also been undertaken to highlight the requirement to confirm continuing eligibility. This is in line with the standard practice applying to all jobseeker payments. Recipients were asked to confirm eligibility no later than Tuesday, 20 July. Failure to do so may affect their entitlement to continue to receive a payment. While that deadline has now passed, the Department will still accept declarations up to Tuesday, 27 July.
Recipients were asked to use the online portal www.MyWelfare.ie and follow the instructions under the heading ‘confirm your eligibility for Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment’. This is the simplest and easiest way to do so. Any person who experienced difficulty in doing this could contact the Department's income support helpline at 1890 800 024 (Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 5.00pm.). For those who were unable to complete the declaration online, a paper form was available.
Over 160,000 or 98% of those who have confirmed their eligibility to date have done so online. This is in line with the experience in relation to applications for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment where the overwhelming majority of applications were successfully made online. The functioning of the online service is continuously monitored by my Department, ensuring its availability for use by customers.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy
