Sherlock calls for €350 PUP to be restored
A Cork East TD said he is in favour of restoring the full Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP).
TD Seán Sherlock said that those who are feeling the brunt of the lockdown are on modest incomes and called on the reinstatement of €350
He made his comments after a bill was introduced regarding the payment.
“That is the same cohort of workers who will feel the brunt of this lockdown, however, because they work in bars, restaurants, tourism and hospitality.
“A lot of them are on modest incomes but a significant proportion of them are single income households with families who are earning anywhere between €50,000 and €80,000 per year, depending on where one works and what that establishment is,” he said.
Deputy Sherlock criticised the Government’s suggestion that struggling people can avail of the jobseeker’s payment
“We do not know how long the lockdown will last and even if it ended tomorrow there would still be a lag-time effect before those sectors come back. The case in point, that we have all articulated, is the entertainment sector.
“Some 31,000 people have been seriously affected by this and would probably find themselves in that cohort.
“Even if we take at face value what Minister Heather Humphreys has said on the €250 and the €203 payment and I do not fully accept the argument made by the Minister about those people being worse off on a net basis. I still believe the minister has to look at those who are on the €300 a week because they include people with mortgages and people in single income families.
“Even when these people move to a jobseeker’s or other such payment they will be net losers. These are the same people who will have an obligation to pay their mortgages. If the boiler breaks or a tyre change is needed on their car, the marginal effect of having to make these payments has a much more adverse effect on families in that cohort,” he added.
‘MAJOR STRESS’
Deputy Sherlock also called on Minister Heather Humphreys to take charge of the obstacles in Intreo offices.
“I stand here as a deputy who has an excellent working relationship with Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection officials on behalf of my constituents and their professionalism is par excellence in dealing with any representations I make on behalf of my constituents. The minster, however, has a problem with Intreo.
“The lag time, the machinery and the obstacles that are put in place for people within that cohort need to be sorted out. These include the revision of forms and the seeking of further information when a person transitions from the Covid payment into a jobseeker’s payment. It causes major stress for families,” he added.