22,000 people in Donegal will be issued with Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment payments this week – up 2,000 on the figure a week ago.
The €350 payments will be in recipients’ bank accounts or at their local post office tomorrow, Tuesday 21st April, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection has confirmed.
584,000 people across Ireland are now in receipt of the payments, with 50,000 applicants receiving a payment for the first time this week.
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
These payments are in addition to the 212,000 people on the Live Register and over 46,000 employers have now registered with the Revenue Commissioners for the Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy scheme.
Over a million people are now receiving some sort of state income support in Ireland.
Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty today said this is a situation “unparalleled in our nation’s history”.
Minister Doherty said: “This is a temporary health emergency and many sectors of the economy will be able to switch back on relatively quickly once the danger has passed.
“However, some sectors will be slower than others to recover and we will also have a challenge with youth employment as many young people who could have expected to have entered a buoyant jobs market will now face a much more complex environment. Understanding this, my Department is already planning for the post-pandemic environment and considering the best measures to help every worker to get back into the labour force as quickly as possible.”
There are also 32,000 people medically certified for receipt of the Covid-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit. It is paid at a rate of €350 per week.
In total (since launch on the 16th March, 2020), and excluding duplicate claims, the Department has processed applications from 672,000 people for the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment or a jobseeker’s payment.
To date, over 51,000 people have contacted the Department to close their Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment. The majority of these requests are because employers are taking people back onto their payroll under the Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme.
However, approximately 52,000 payments have been withheld for a variety of reasons. These include the people concerned who were still in employment, who had not been in employment prior to claiming the Covid-19 payment, a Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy was being paid in their name, who were not resident in the State or because they submitted incorrect details including invalid PPSNs and IBANs. The Department is continuing to resolve any issues, such as invalid IBANS or PPSNs, with legitimate applications and is contacting the people concerned directly over the next few days.
