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Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 September 2020

Thursday, 17 September 2020

Ceisteanna (84, 85)

Pearse Doherty

Ceist:

84. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Finance the number of employees with gross weekly pay of less than €151.50 who received payments under the temporary wage subsidy scheme since the beginning of its operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24519/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Pearse Doherty

Ceist:

85. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Finance the number of employees with gross weekly pay of less than €151.50 who received payments under the temporary wage subsidy scheme in August 2020. [24520/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 84 and 85 together.

Revenue has advised me that it cannot accurately provide the numbers of employee recipients of the TWSS by their level of gross weekly pay due to the required format used by employers when filing (employee) payslips. For example, gross pay was required to be reported as €0.01 where the employer did not make an additional ‘top-up’ payment to the employee. Where the employer made an additional payment to an employee, this ‘top-up’ amount was required to be reported as gross pay. Therefore, for most TWSS employees their gross pay as reported to Revenue for the duration of the scheme reflected their ‘top-up’ payment only (over 80% received ‘top-up’ payments) and not their actual weekly pay, inclusive of the TWSS.

Revenue has analysed the numbers of TWSS recipients where the sum of gross weekly pay (€0.01 or the ‘top- up’ amount) plus the net subsidy amount was less than €151.50. This analysis suggests there may be around 20,000 such employees, with approximately 5,000 of these having exited the TWSS by the end of the scheme.  However, given the issues noted above, this should be considered highly provisional and be very likely subject to revision.

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