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More than 19,000 people have applied for pandemic unemployment pay in the past week.
According to figures from the Ministry of Social Protection there was a net increase of 10,801 people who received the payment in the last seven days.
The increase in the number of people claiming PUPs is the first increase seen by the department since May.
He says this partly reflects parts of the country that are moving toward Level 3 restrictions.
The largest increase in beneficiaries was recorded in Dublin with figures of up to 85,892.
Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys, TD said it is not surprising to see the numbers rise due to “tighter restrictions being introduced in Dublin.”
“The government wanted to make sure this safety net remained in place in the event that counties faced further restrictions,” he said.
“That is why the decision was made to extend PUP until next year and, more importantly, to keep it open to new entrants.”
The Department of Social Protection expects the number to increase.
There are now 217,142 people in PUP payments who will see 61.9 million euros paid on Tuesday
Meanwhile, 8,690 people closed their PUP claim in the past seven days, and 6,309 returned to work.
In addition to this, 4,953 will receive their final payment tomorrow.
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