Future plans for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) have been approved by the government.
New Arrangements
A statement published on gov.ie revealed that the following new arrangements have been agreed for the PUP:
- the PUP closed for new applications on January 22 in line with the government's decision to lift restrictions;
- with effect from March 8, anyone who is still in receipt of the PUP will move to a €208 weekly rate, which represents a four week extension to what was announced previously;
- and PUP recipients will begin transitioning to standard jobseeker terms, and if eligible, will move onto a jobseeker payment effective from April 5 of this year.
Minister For Social Protection Statement
The statement published on gov.ie revealing the above information also included a statement from Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys, in which she said, "The Pandemic Unemployment Payment has been an absolutely vital support for workers and their families.
"What was originally intended to be just a six week short-term payment will now last for over two years with over €9 billion in payments issued to workers.
"In line with the widespread lifting of restrictions from [Saturday January 22], the government has today approved plans for the winding down of the PUP over the coming months.
"The decision to lift restrictions represents a hugely positive step which will see tens of thousands of people return to work over the coming weeks as the country begins to return to normal."
Changes To COVID-19 Business Supports Announced
The above news follows news that Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has announced changes to several COVID-19 pandemic-related business support schemes.
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