Regina Doherty: We will continue to support public - but payments aren't sustainable long-term

The vast majority of people will return to work by the end of year, said Regina Doherty

Regina Doherty

The Department of Social Protection will continue to support workers until they go back to work, a government Minister has said.

However, Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty also warned that the current payments would not sustainable in the long term.

Ms Doherty hopes all construction workers will come off the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment and return to work in the coming weeks, which would take 78,000 people off the live register, she said in an interview on Morning Ireland.

“We will continue to look after people long after this pandemic is over,” she said.

The vast majority of people will return to work by the end of year, said Ms Doherty, but she acknowledged that there are some industries that will need a lot of help to recover and some people may have to re-train for work.

There are emerging sectors that will require workers which will offer an opportunity for workers to reskill, she said.

The government’s €6.5bn package to support business was a recognition of the need for assistance, she said. Only part of the package will require legislation which would take weeks which was why government formation negotiations were important.

The focus now is on rebuilding society, she added and to do so there needs to be a stable government, having a government that only lasts only a few months would not help.

When asked if the government should have informed the Northern Ireland Assembly of its plans to ease out of lockdown before announcing it to public, Ms Doherty said “maybe, with hindsight".

"The most important thing was to tell the people we serve,” she added.