Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 July 2020
141. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of Covid-19 income support for seasonal workers, such as multilingual tour guides, whose season from April to October 2020 has been completely disrupted; if she will consider extending the support to seasonal workers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16455/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhere a person was due to take up employment but was not in employment immediately prior to 13th March, he or she is 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 may be eligible to apply for a jobseeker 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. A person who does not qualify for, or who has exhausted his or her entitlement to jobseeker’s benefit, can apply for the means tested jobseeker’s allowance.
The Government has set employment recovery as its top priority and the jobs stimulus package to be announced later this month should help to get people back into work. Further decisions on the future of the pandemic unemployment payment will take into account progress in the re-opening of society and the developing health situation.
I trust this clarifies the position at this time.
