Covid-19: Paschal Donohoe to propose solution on payment loophole for women

At the moment a glaring anomaly in the Covid-19 legislation means women who are returning to work from maternity leave can not be put on the wage subsidy scheme.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe is bringing a proposed solution to the cabinet about the Covid-19 wage subsidy omission.

The cabinet will consider changes to the wage subsidy scheme to end a glaring loophole for women on maternity leave.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe is bringing a proposed solution to the cabinet.

At the moment an anomaly in the Covid-19 legislation means women who are returning to work from maternity leave can not be put on the wage subsidy scheme.

Because they have no pay slips from January and February, they can not be placed on the scheme, which is now providing a barrier to returning to work.

The issue has been raised for a number of weeks, but the legislation can not be directly amended until a new government is in place.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has been attempting to solve the issue and will present a proposed solution to the cabinet today.

Yesterday he told the Dáil he believes a solution can be found to make sure that everyone is treated equally under the scheme.