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LAST UPDATE | 19 Mar 2020
MINISTER FOR SOCIAL Protection Regina Doherty has said there have been 58,000 applications for the new Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment.
The payment was introduced by her department as a support for those affected by the coronavirus outbreak in Ireland.
Giving an update today, Doherty said 43,000 of these applications have been processed so far and these people should receive their payments by the end of next week. The applicants include many people who normally would not be entitled to a welfare benefit, such as self-employed persons and both foreign and Irish students.
She also announced the department will now move to fortnightly payments, to acknowledge public health advice about social distancing. She said this will mean people who normally collect their payments every week from their local Post Office will now only have to go every two weeks.
Those due to be paid their next payment on 23 March will also receive their payment for 30 March at the same time.
These payments will be made to people who collect their payments at post offices and who are paid into a bank account.
In addition, Doherty announced that her Department has commenced a public awareness campaign to inform people about the new payment.
Doherty said as the situation is changing so rapidly, it is difficult for the government to put a final number on those expected to lose their jobs as a result of the outbreak.
Already there are 140,000 workers in the hospitality industry affected, 54,000 in the accommodation industry and 200,000 in retail. The minister said industries she had not expected to be impacted are now suffering losses and the government is moving to respond to that.
“We have never experienced a challenge to our welfare system of this magnitude in living memory. Since last Friday, my Department has been assisting an unprecedented increase in the numbers of people seeking income support from the Department,” Doherty said in a statement today.
“I would also like to thank the public for their patience and forbearance as we try to meet the challenge of a sudden large scale increase in demand for our services,” she said.
The Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment is available to employees and self-employed people who are unemployed or who have their hours of work reduced during the pandemic. This includes people who have been put on part-time or casual work.
Successful applicants will receive a flat rate payment of €203 per week for six weeks.
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Well done Declan great to see the people making the decisions,just goes to show that there is no leadership at the moment this is going to change the whole world when we come out of this ,it also shows that we need to come a hell of a lot closer together ,
Stay safe and hopefully ye will be back sooner rather than later
Regards
It was an attempt at a culling of the most vulnerable.
@Jim Buckley Barrett: Kinda a conservative blue shirt culling …
@Willy Mc Entire: you’d know a lot about culling.
@Willy Mc Entire:
Ní ceapaim Willy.
@Willy Mc Entire: grow up.
I’m afraid the brits were never good at taking orders/advise.
You’d have to wonder was there an element of “fcuk you we are doing our own thing” as a show of defiance stemming from there new found “independence”
@Coco86: the Brexit project was going to cost dear anyway but the prospect of the economic fallout from Coronavirus measures on top was too much to bear for the crusaders. Economics drove their response alright. Their response will cost lives.
@Gerry Ryan deG: Unfortunately that seems to be the case alright
@Coco86: I got the impression that The UK was shadowing the USA response,.
Trumps approach was that it was ‘under control’ etc it’s only when the Americans started to Act, Johnson seemed to change tactic.
Incidentally, Johnson in my opinion is using this Scientist James Witty as his advisor, he worked on the Ebola outbreak a few years ago, I get the impression the approach is more economical, , the ‘herd immunity’ was Whittys advice…
It’s a f#ck up..
England will pay a huge price in human life for Johnson’s dithering. Already the death rate there is far higher than Wales, Scotland or the island of Ireland. I saw a man called John Glen, who works for the Chancellor, answering ( or trying to) answer questions in the parliament yesterday. It was cringe- inducing stuff.
It’s worrying that I’m order to do the right thing you have to rebel against the leadership. Perhaps if England didn’t make up most of the UK they wouldn’t be Englanding themselves off a cliffs edge
When this is all over, as it will be, a serious conversation and reflection needed, as to how the UK managed to recklessly endanger the citizens of our Republic and its own. On this issue, the Executive in Stormont not fit for purpose.
Everything this man said made sense.
The blitz spirit invoked by the Brexiteers sees pensioners struggling to get basics as supermarkets stripped bare.
Elect bumbling populists and this is the result.
@DJ François: “struggling to get basics”… Oh please enough of the sensationalism.
@Alan Currie: my sister is in London, spent the entire day two days ago looking for food, no veg, no fruit anywhere, queued for 4 hrs yesterday morning from 5am in the rain to get some shopping. No rice or dried goods to be found. If shes struggling to get basics and she inst a pensioner then what are pensioners having to do in your non-sensationalist opinion?
@Alan Currie: Have you seen the ques outside Tesco’s in the UK from before opening?
Capitalism facilitated the virus.
Socialism will facilitate the response and recovery.
@John: And the long lasting social and financial control that will be pushed on to the population???
@John: communism is at the root of this if chairman Mao hadn’t starved 60 million people the Chinese wouldn’t have turned to eating wildlife such as bat’s which are know to pass on viruses like we’ve seen here.
@John: actually communism is a the root of this. if Mao hadn’t starved his population they wouldn’t have had to turn to eating wildlife such as bat’s for food for long enough that it became the norm. Also the Chinese government has a case to answer for allowing wet markets to continue.
Vladamir Putin was dead right about the UK when he said they are a supercillious country
Great Article
Johnson always had that just out of bed look about him. He has the boris virus and it is costing the uk dearly. Stay safe everyone
Cheers Declan.
@Mike McGann: great article
Bozo really messed up here! What a Pratt
Obviously driven by Economic reasons rather than Health concerns. Brexit has left Britain exposed with little or no friends in Europe after Boris Johnson decided to change the terms of separation again. It’s almost like they now need to “Cull” an entire section of older dependant pensioners who are costing the state money and may end up overwhelmingly the NHS if they fall ill.
Every other EU country has tried to follow the WHO guidelines on containment, but BoJo knows better.
Even though every health authority in existence has called for systematic shutdown and separation.
Nothing to see here folks, keep your heads down and your mouths shut, England needs “worker bees” to keep the wheels turning, remember the Blitz, we shall prevail.
Watch this space folks …..
Well said, Declan. Concise, erudite and straight to the point…..(unlike some of the nonsensical comments printed here…..)
Brexit put that ‘jurisdiction’ on life support….Little England’s arrogant folly coupled with Bojo’s ‘science’…and the consequences of that policy imposed on the North…just unplugged it.
Boris is marching them to the gallows .
With Arnold grinning over his shoulder .
Two obnoxious individuals .
Wow well written Declan. And good for you.. Making good decisions to protect, your pupils, staff and the wider community. Boris Johnson”s lack of leadership in this crisis is appalling!! Thankfully the Irish government has taken the bull by the horns and made some excellent decisions to safeguard the population of the Republic. It looks like Northern Ireland has been left out on a limb.. Which obviously has an affect on us here in the South with people crossing the border with no checks nor restrictions in place.
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