The government is considering restoring the PUP to the previous amount, says the minister

The government is considering restoring the pandemic unemployment payment to its previous amount, according to Thomas Byrne.

More than 100,000 more people are expected to lose their jobs when the country moves to a combination of level four and level 5, with the closure of non-essential retail stores expected to be announced later today.

Many have pointed out that social supports, as well as a total ban on evictions, must be reintroduced to protect people.

“That is a key issue that the government is considering this weekend,” said the Minister of State for European Affairs on RTÉ Tomorrow Ireland.

You cannot just say right away, without thinking about the consequences, that more than 100,000 people will possibly lose their jobs, we temporarily wait, and that is why existing supports and their enforcement have been considered in detail.

“Social solidarity; we will not have it unless we have the supports, and these are exactly the considerations that the government is considering, before a final decision is made, to make sure that we protect the health of the population, but also protect the country. as economically as possible “.

Evictions are supposed to be banned until January next year, but so far more than 300 people have been evicted during the pandemic.

Byrne said the government will implement more restrictions to address the problem.

Byrne said he “would expect the restrictions to be even tighter and much stronger.”

“We’re going to make sure they don’t happen. They shouldn’t have happened with a ban there.

We saw some egregious examples of people being thrown onto the streets completely illegally and there should be legal and landlord consequences and non-compliance with the law.

Schools will remain open to any new restrictions, however the government is examining the implementation of rapid antigen tests, similar to those in France, in all schools.

Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald’s said a “weekend of speculation” has been worrisome and that the additional restrictions “must be accompanied by additional support.”

“Our strong point of view is that, respecting the fact that people are going to struggle with new restrictions and offering the support that the state can financially and in terms of the safety of the roof over their heads, is a very direct way to help. to that sense of social cohesion and perhaps to rekindle that we have often used the phrase that we are all in this together ”.

McDonald also said he felt a six-week lockdown would be “really, really challenging and difficult for all of us.”

“I also know that last week 13 public hospitals across the state had no intensive care capacity,” he said.

“The people who are really going to fight and who are as we are talking about this morning, many of them, very worried, it is imperative that the State act to restore the PUP and wage subsidies by the way, and restore the absolute prohibition of evictions” .