The Department of Social Protection has today provided a detailed account of the range of income and other supports extended to hundreds of thousands of people since the start of the Pandemic.

During an unprecedented 12 months, the Department provided €11.5 billion in weekly payments and other supports introduced to assist people impacted by Covid-19.

Pandemic Unemployment Payment

Designed and developed over two days, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) has proven to be a vital income support to workers, thousands of whom lost their jobs virtually overnight. It is estimated that on 13 March alone, some 30,000 people visited their local Intreo Centre to seek income support having lost their job.

It peaked in the first week of May 2020, when some 602,000 were in receipt of the PUP.

Since its introduction:

• Just under 20 million PUP payments have been made
• To over 850,000 people
• Providing income support of more than €6.3 billion to date

Over the 12 month period, just under 2 million PUP claims were received and processed and the scheme itself was refined – first by increasing the rate of payment to match average wages in the two most affected sectors – retail and hospitality and then by linking it to a person’s earnings before Covid-19.

To support this new scheme, new communications campaigns were implemented, new telephone support lines were developed and new online and web-based services were delivered.

In the past 12 months, the Department’s webpages have been the most used across the entire public service (with more visitors than all other public service websites – including the HSE). Meanwhile, staff have received and answered over 10 million phone calls.

The Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme/Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme

In parallel with developing and implementing the PUP, the Department started work on the development of an employer refund scheme with the intention that, rather than laying staff off, employers could keep their workers on the payroll, and then claim a refund from the Department.

It was this scheme that ultimately became the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS).

Launched on 26 March, the TWSS was developed in partnership with the Department of Finance and administered by the Revenue Commissioners.

During its lifetime, just under 650,000 workers employed by just under 70,000 employers were supported by the TWSS to the value of just over €2.7 billion.

The TWSS was itself refined and replaced by the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) from 1^st September. Since then, the EWSS has supported just under 550,000 workers employed by just under 50,000 employers to a value of €2.3 billion.

Enhanced Illness Benefit

The Department also recognised the importance of providing workers who fell ill or were diagnosed with the Covid-19 virus or were required to self-isolate with income support while absent from work.

Even before the PUP was introduced, and in anticipation of high levels of Covid-related illness claims, the Department had developed and introduced an Enhanced Illness Benefit scheme.

This scheme is paid at a higher rate of €350 per week, compared to the standard rate of €203 per week and requires a person to have made just one social insurance contribution in the period prior to claim.

In addition, unlike the Department’s general Illness Benefit it is available to self-employed workers and does not have a ‘waiting days period before payment commences.

Since the scheme was introduced, almost 142,000 people have been medically certified for receipt of the Enhanced Illness Benefit with approximately €88 million paid in this income support.

The Government has confirmed that the Covid-19 income supports will be maintained until at least 30 June 2021.  The position will be kept under review and the future of the supports beyond that time will be considered over the coming months.

Targeted Measures

In addition to core income supports, the Department put in place a range of other targeted measures during the initial stages of the pandemic, including:

• A four-week extension to the 2020 Fuel Allowance season;
• Arrangements for parents to register electronically the birth of their new-born babies;
• Special arrangements for the Rent Supplement Scheme, and in particular, enhanced access arrangements for victims of domestic violence;
• An Enterprise Support Grant for Small Businesses to provide owners in receipt of PUP with a once-off grant of up to €1,000 to re-start their business – over 8,000 small businesses have been paid over €8 million under this scheme.
• Special support arrangements for self-employed people e.g. the arts and entertainment sector - Self-employed people in receipt of the PUP, including people in the arts and entertainment sector  who may have opportunities for occasional earnings can earn up to €960 over an eight-week period, while retaining their full PUP entitlement;
• School Meals Programme – funding was continued by the Department during periods of school closures under Level 5 restrictions;
• New measures were introduced to support community based programmes - CE and TÚS schemes;
• New online functionality on MyWelfare (e.g., applying for, confirming your continued eligibility for PUP and closing your PUP);
• Changes to Redundancy schemes to extend the period of time that people can be laid-off without automatically triggering redundancy terms.

“A year on since the start of the pandemic, it is only right that we reflect on the hurt and devastation that has been felt by people who lost friends or loved ones due to the pandemic," Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys, said.

“Thousands of lives were lost; hundreds of thousands of people found themselves without employment, often for their first time in their working lives.

“As we reflect on what has been one of the most difficult years in our country’s history, I am reminded of the great sense of togetherness shown last March in response to Covid-19.

"That sense of solidarity has been key in helping us mitigate the worst effects of the virus whilst enabling us to support our incredibly brave frontline health professionals who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic."