15% increase in number of people receiving PUP 

Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys. Picture: Julien Behal Photography/PA Wire

There has been a 15% increase in the number of people receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) this week.

Some 459,921 people are set to receive the payment this week, an increase of 61,715 on the number of people who were paid last week.

The Department of Social Protection has said that this week it has issued weekly payments valued at €138.07m.

The Department said that the payments issued will be in recipients’ bank accounts or at their post office tomorrow.

“This week’s Pandemic Unemployment Payment figures are a stark reminder to all of us of the impact that Covid-19 is having on so many individuals, families and businesses as well as our communities right across the country,” said Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys.

“The last time we had this level of claims for PUP was in June 2020 as the country was beginning to emerge from the initial period of restrictions last Summer.” 

The Department said that the sector with the highest number of people receiving PUP this week is Accommodation and Food Service activities (110,351), followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (73,382) and Construction (56,217).

Ms Humphreys added: “Since last March over 14 million payments have been issued under the Pandemic Unemployment Payment with over 820,000 people receiving support under the scheme.

“To put this in context – it is the equivalent of processing over 7 years’ worth of jobseekers applications in 10 months. The total cost of PUP to date is over €5.3bn.

“These figures are unprecedented in scale and demonstrate the Government’s absolute commitment to supporting impacted workers at this extremely difficult time. My priority is to ensure that people continue to receive the support they need while these restrictions remain in place and that is why the Pandemic Unemployment Payment remains open for new applications and the current rates of payment will continue until March 31.” 

In the last week, 5,042 people closed their claim for the payment, stating that they are returning to work, something Ms Humphreys was “encouraged” to see.

“It is welcoming to see that even in these times, some people are finding ways to keep businesses going and I would like to acknowledge the efforts that many people are making to seek alternative options and create new ways of continuing their business.”