The Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Act 2020, provides, amongst other measures, for paid social insurance contributions in respect of people who are beneficiaries of certain Covid-19 income support payments. These payments include the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP).
The attribution of contributions will ensure that employed contributors who are in receipt of PUP will have social insurance contributions attributed to them, of the same amount as the contribution made by them in the week immediately before commencing PUP.
This important piece of legislation protects a person’s entitlement to future social protection payments: both long-term payments such as pensions and shorter term payments such as Illness, Maternity and Paternity Benefits.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.