Number of people on pandemic payment in Longford drops to 1,900

Yesterday, the Department of Social Protection made payments valued at €85.2m to 274,600 people for the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP). This represents a decrease of 12,300 on the 286,900 people paid last week and a 54% drop on the 598,000 paid at its peak on May 5.

In the past seven days, 11,200 people have closed their claim for a Pandemic Unemployment Payment. Some 5,300 will be receiving their final payment today, 4 August.

In Longford, 1,900 people received the payment. In the last seven days, 200 Longford people have closed their claim. On May 5, there were 4,500 people on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment.

The top three sectors in which employees are returning to work this week are Accommodation and Food Services; Wholesale and Retail Trade, Repair of Motor Vehicles and motorcycles; and Construction. 

Again this week, the largest cohort returning to work is aged under 25 years.

Minister for Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands, Heather Humphreys, T.D., said:

“This week sees a further decrease in the number of people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment. It is particularly encouraging to see this trend reflected in every county as people continue to get back to work.

“Today we are paying €85.2 million to recipients of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, bringing the total amount paid under PUP to over €3 billion. To put this into context, last year my Department paid out €2.1 billion in Child Benefit.

“This therefore reflects the scale of the support the Government has provided to those who lost employment during the public health crisis. By extending the Pandemic Unemployment Payment for a further seven months until April 2021 the Government is committed to continuing to support those most adversely impacted by the pandemic.”

As well as those availing of the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment, there are now over 69,470 employers who have registered with the Revenue Commissioners for the Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS). An estimated 390,000 employees are currently being supported by the scheme having received a subsidy in their most recent pay period.

The above payments are in addition to the 220,900 people who were reported on the Live Register as of the end of June.  All Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payments issued were due to be in recipients’ bank accounts or at their local post office yesterday, Tuesday, August 4.