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348,300 people received Pandemic Unemployment Pay (PUP) this week, and more than 28,000 closed their PUP claims in the last 7 days.
In total, the amount paid in weekly PUP payments amounts to 102.67 million euros, a reduction from last week’s amount of 103.65 million euros, while another 83.14 million euros have been paid as a Christmas bonus for PUP recipients.
The Department of Social Protection has announced that the number of people receiving the PUP payment this week has dropped by 3,168 compared to the 351,424 people who were paid last week.
Once again, the sector with the highest number of people receiving the PUP is the sector of accommodation and food services activities (101,335, followed by those working in the wholesale and retail trade (55,173) and, finally, other sectors, such as hairdressers and beauty salons (31,008).
Speaking about these figures, the Minister of Social Protection, Heather Humphreys, said: “More than 28,000 people closed their claims for Pandemic Unemployment Pay in the last seven days when we left the Level 5 restrictions. It’s heartwarming to see businesses reopen into sectors that have been hit hard by the pandemic.
“The likes of retail, lodging, foodservice and hair salons. Christmas is a really important time of year for these industries and I want to congratulate companies on their efforts to reopen safely.”
These figures are in addition to the 194,058 people who reported on the Live Registry at the end of November.
All issued Covid-19 PUP payments will be in recipients’ bank accounts or their post office tomorrow Tuesday, December 8.
In the past seven days, some 28,682 people closed their PUP claim, and 25,350 claimed they were doing so because they are returning to work.
Many more people are expected to return to work in the next week.
Dublin had the highest number of people closing their claims (6,441), followed by Cork (3,265), Galway (1,458), Kildare (1,244) and Wexford (1,019).
This week will also see more than 283,000 PUP recipients receive the Christmas Bonus payment for a total of 83.14 million euros.
The Christmas bonus payment (the payment of an additional week) is normally made to people who receive long-term welfare payments and who are entitled to a normal payment with respect to the week the bonus is paid.
People who are unemployed for less than 12 months usually do not receive this payment.
Recipients of other welfare payments who receive a long-term weekly payment will receive the Christmas bonus this week as well.
They will be paid the same day they receive their weekly payment.
On the issue of the Christmas bonus, Minister Humphreys added: “This week, the Christmas bonus will be paid to more than 1.6 million welfare recipients with payments totaling 390 million euros.
“This includes 83 million euros that is being paid only to people who receive PUP payments. In total, the Department has paid more than 500 million euros in the form of Christmas bonus and PUP arrears. Spend this money locally. From That way, it is helping its local economy and supporting small businesses. “
The Department continues to remind workers who are returning to work to close their claim for Pandemic Unemployment Pay (PUP) on the actual date they return to work, to ensure that their claim is processed correctly and to avoid incurring an overpayment that the Department will take steps to recover.
Minister Humphreys commented: “I want to assure workers that the PUP remains open until March and any worker who returns to work only to find that their employer closes again in the New Year will be able to use the payment.
“I encourage all workers who have the opportunity to return to work – just as we needed your support to suppress the virus, we now need your support to reopen our economy.”
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