Almost half of PUP recipients have closed their claim

Almost half of PUP recipients have closed their claim, while 400,000 employees are being supported by the temporary wage subsidy scheme. File Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Just under half of those who accessed the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) have now brought their claim to a close according to the Government, as it moved to dampen controversy over the benefit.

At its peak, some 598,000 people accessed the PUP during the lockdown. Of those, more than 272,000 of them have now moved off payment as the restrictions on business have eased.