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Update on payments awarded for COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment and Enhanced Illness Benefit

352,000 receive the Pandemic Unemployment Payment this week

€104 million paid out in PUP payments this week

Over €4.3 billion paid out in PUP to date

Quickest and easiest way to apply for PUP is online at www.MyWelfare.ie

This week, the Department of Social Protection has issued payments valued at €104 million, up from €103.8 million last week, to 352,078 people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP).

The number of people receiving a PUP payment this week represents an increase of just over 2,000 on the 350,072 people paid last week.

The sector with the highest number of people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is Accommodation and Food Service Activities (102,777) followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (57,292) and Other Sectors, for example hairdressers and beauty salons (31,273).

This week’s figures are in addition to the 203,172 people who were reported on the Live Register as of the end of October. All COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payments issued will be in recipients’ bank accounts or at their local post office tomorrow, Tuesday 24 November.

Commenting on this week’s figures, Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys said:

"There are now over 352,000 people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, representing an increase of over 145,000 since the start of October.

"These past few weeks have not been easy. I know people are tired and just want life to get back to some normality.

"Later this week Government hopes to be in a position to consider easing restrictions from early December which will hopefully allow some people to return to work.

"In the meantime as a society, we must do everything within our power to continue to suppress this virus and to significantly reduce the rate of transmission. By working together now and in the weeks ahead, we can all play our part in ensuring that families across the country will be able to come together and celebrate this Christmas in a meaningful way."

PUP is paid weekly in arrears with applications received up to close of business on Thursday in any week being processed for payment on the following Tuesday. Applications received after Thursday each week, are processed as part of the following week’s claims and paid in the next week after that.

Any person, including any self-employed person, who believes that their payment rate does not accurately reflect their prior earnings, can contact the department to request a review of earnings and forward all supporting documents, which will be matched with Revenue records. They can contact the department by:

  • emailing PUPRerate@welfare.ie
  • writing to Pandemic Unemployment Rerate Requests, DSP, Intreo Centre, Cork Road, Waterford
  • calling the Helpline at 1890 800 024 which is open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

People returning to work

In the past seven days, some 4,912 people closed their PUP, with over 66% (3,251) stating that they were doing so because they are returning to work.

The department continues to remind workers who are returning to work that they must close their claim for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) on the actual date that they start back at work, in order to ensure that their claim is processed correctly.

The easiest way to close a claim for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is online via www.MyWelfare.ie. Any worker returning to work with an enquiry about closing their claim, can contact the department’s dedicated income support helpline at 1890 800 024 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

Again this week, the largest cohort of people who closed their claims to return to work is in the 25-34 age group (858), followed by those aged 35-44 (773). Full details are available at Appendix 8.

Applying for PUP

To apply for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, the easiest and quickest way is to do so online at www.MyWelfare.ie. When applying, people should provide the name of their employer and details of their last day of employment.

In the interests of the public health advice and observing social distancing people are asked, if possible, not to attend their local Intreo Centre. Instead, they should avail of the online services available through www.MyWelfare.ie.

COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit Payment

Since March, a cumulative total of 89,399 people under the age of 66 have been medically certified for receipt of the COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit.

Today, some 2,296 people are currently in receipt of an Enhanced Illness Benefit payment.

The number of people medically certified to receive the Enhanced Illness Benefit has increased in every county again this week, the greatest number being in Dublin (24,607), followed by Cork (9,7,24), Galway (5,464), Kildare (4,320) and Meath (3,609).

The trend of increases in every sector affected by the COVID-19 virus continues again this week. The sectors with the greatest number of people medically certified for receipt of a COVID-19 Illness Benefit payment are Wholesale and Retail Trade (19,163) and Human Health and Social Work (16,381), followed by Manufacturing (12,356). Full details are at Appendices 9, 10 and 11.

ENDS

Press Office - Media Enquiries Only (Including Out of Hours)

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Ríomhphost:

press.office@welfare.ie

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Appendices

  • Appendix 1 - Analysis of Pandemic Unemployment Payments by County
  • Appendix 2 - Pandemic Unemployment Payments by Sector
  • Appendix 3 - Pandemic Unemployment Payments by Age Profile
  • Appendix 4 - Pandemic Unemployment Payment Rates by gender
  • Appendix 5 - Pandemic Unemployment Payment Rates by age
  • Appendix 6 - Analysis of People who Closed their PUP Claim to Return to Work
  • Appendix 7 - Analysis of Closed Pandemic Unemployment Payments by Sector
  • Appendix 8 - Analysis of Closed Pandemic Unemployment Payments Age Profile
  • Appendix 9 - Enhanced Illness Benefit Payments by County
  • Appendix 10 - Enhanced Illness Benefit Payments by Sector
  • Appendix 11 - Enhanced Illness Benefit Payments Age Profile

Appendix 1 - Analysis of Pandemic Unemployment Payments

There are 352,078 people in receipt a Pandemic Unemployment Payment of which 177,380 are female and 174,698 are male.

County Breakdown

County Number of people in receipt of a Pandemic Unemployment Payment on 24 November Number of people in receipt of a Pandemic Unemployment Payment on 17 November Number of people in receipt of a Pandemic Unemployment Payment on 5 May
Carlow 3,682 3,676 7,800
Cavan 4,736 4,719 9,700
Clare 7,513 7,494 14,600
Cork 35,341 35,193 61,900
Donegal 12,444 12,360 22,700
Dublin 114,613 113,902 174,200
Galway 19,590 19,498 32,300
Kerry 13,970 13,864 22,200
Kildare 15,458 15,381 26,100
Kilkenny 5,550 5,546 10,600
Laois 4,642 4,637 8,600
Leitrim 2,035 2,027 4,100
Limerick 13,873 13,782 22,300
Longford 2,330 2,325 4,500
Louth 10,845 10,745 17,300
Mayo 9,507 9,356 16,400
Meath 13,138 13,111 25,000
Monaghan 4,207 4,164 8,200
Offaly 4,364 4,357 8,900
Roscommon 3,500 3,462 7,100
Sligo 4,363 4,355 7,700
Tipperary 9,423 9,379 18,800
Waterford 8,329 8,214 14,100
Westmeath 6,588 6,543 11,700
Wexford 10,721 10,679 20,500
Wicklow 10,691 10,663 18,700
County not included 625 640 2,000
Total 352,078 350,072 598,000

Appendix 2 – Pandemic Unemployment Payments - Sector Breakdown

The sector with the highest number of people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is Accommodation and Food Service Activities (102,777) followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (57,292) and Other Sectors, for example hairdressers and beauty salons (31,273).

Sector Breakdown

Industrial Sector Number of people in receipt of Pandemic Unemployment Payment on 24 November Number of people in receipt of Pandemic Unemployment Payment on 17 November Number of people in receipt of Pandemic Unemployment Payment on 5 May
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing; Mining and Quarrying 4,412 4,321 8,600
Manufacturing 15,593 15,465 37,400
Electricity, gas supply; Water supply, sewerage and waste management 1,139 1,134 2,100
Construction 21,267 21,061 79,300
Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and motorcycles 57,292 57,015 90,300
Transportation and storage 9,207 9,127 17,900
Accommodation and food service activities 102,777 102,682 128,500
Information and communication activities 7,602 7,526 11,800
Financial and insurance activities 7,156 7,119 12,500
Real Estate activities 5,472 5,442 8,100
Professional, Scientific and Technical activities 13,323 13,294 24,800
Administrative and support service activities 29,953 29,674 45,800
Public Administration And Defence; Compulsory Social Security 5,372 5,354 14,400
Education 10,312 10,340 22,000
Human Health And Social Work activities 10,285 10,271 22,500
Arts, entertainment and recreation 12,027 11,973 14,200
Other Sectors 31,273 31,048 39,200
Unclassified or unknown 7,616 7,226 18,600
Total 352,078 350,072 598,000

Appendix 3 – Pandemic Unemployment Payment - Age Profile

Age category Number of people in receipt of Pandemic Unemployment Payment on 24 November Number of people in receipt of Pandemic Unemployment Payment on 17 November
< 25 89,658 89,406
25-34 80,441 80,079
35-44 76,408 75,788
45-54 60,200 59,827
55+ 45,371 44,972
Total 352,078 350,072

Appendix 4 – Pandemic Unemployment Payment Rates breakdown by gender

Gender Number of people in receipt of €350 on 24 November Number of people in receipt of €300 on 24 November Number of people in receipt of €250 on 24 November Number of people in receipt of €203 on 24 November
Male 92,990 28,794 25,991 26,923
Female 65,162 35,663 38,161 38,394
Total 158,152 64,457 64,152 65,317

Appendix 5 – Pandemic Unemployment Payment Rates breakdown by age

Age category Number of people in receipt of €350 on 24 November Number of people in receipt of €300 on 24 November Number of people in receipt of €250 on 24 November Number of people in receipt of €203 on 24 November
< 25 21,725 21,211 25,319 21,403
25-34 43,763 15,471 11,354 9,853
35-44 41,548 11,848 10,789 12,223
45-54 30,731 9,071 9,118 11,280
55+ 20,385 6,856 7,572 10,558
Total 158,152 64,457 64,152 65,317

Appendix 6 – Analysis of Closed PUP payments to return to Work

Around 3,251 people who have closed their account for return to work since 15 November will receive a Pandemic Unemployment Payment tomorrow, 24 November. Of these 1,866 are male and 1,385 are female.

County Breakdown

County Number of people who closed their PUP payment from 24 November to return to work Number of people who closed their PUP payment from 17 November to return to work Number of people who closed their PUP payment from 10 November to return to work
Carlow 40 40 25
Cavan 79 67 57
Clare 69 67 51
Cork 383 316 288
Donegal 110 98 75
Dublin 897 837 675
Galway 166 165 154
Kerry 93 80 79
Kildare 182 153 108
Kilkenny 49 46 27
Laois 48 30 26
Leitrim 12 17 12
Limerick 147 106 81
Longford 27 17 15
Louth 99 79 76
Mayo 76 61 47
Meath 154 119 80
Monaghan 39 38 32
Offaly 50 53 40
Roscommon 35 26 16
Sligo 46 34 22
Tipperary 98 88 71
Waterford 80 66 51
Westmeath 67 69 44
Wexford 110 98 68
Wicklow 88 90 92
County not included 7 8 7
Total 3,251 2,868 2,319

Appendix 7 – Closed Pandemic Unemployment Payments - Sector Breakdown

The top three sectors from which employees closed their Pandemic Unemployment Payment in the week ending 24 November to return to work are Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and motorcycles (690); Accommodation and Food Service Activities (610) and Construction (339).

Industrial Sector Number of people who closed their PUP payment from 24 November to return to work Number of people who closed their PUP payment from 17 November to return to work
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing; Mining and Quarrying 45 36
Manufacturing 292 296
Electricity, gas supply; Water supply, sewerage and waste management 17 7
Construction 339 322
Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and motorcycles 690 532
Transportation and storage 81 96
Accommodation and food service activities 610 482
Information and communication activities 69 62
Financial and insurance activities 54 59
Real Estate activities 33 25
Professional, Scientific and Technical activities 147 140
Administrative and support service activities 316 242
Public Administration And Defence; Compulsory Social Security 70 69
Education 127 121
Human Health And Social Work activities 159 187
Arts, entertainment and recreation 57 65
Other Sectors (e.g. hairdressers and beauty salons) 117 102
Unclassified or unknown 28 25
Total 3,251 2,868

Appendix 8 – Closed Pandemic Unemployment Payments – Age Profile

Age category Number of people who closed their PUP payment from 24 November to return to work Number of people who closed their PUP payment from 17 November to return to work
< 25 712 629
25-34 858 792
35-44 773 663
45-54 606 488
55+ 302 296
Total 3,251 2,868

Appendix 9 - Analysis of COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit

To date, 89,399 people have been medically certified for receipt of a COVID-19 related Illness Benefit payment, of whom 48,998 are female and 40,401 are male.

Some 2,296 people are currently in receipt of an Enhanced Illness Benefit payment.

County Breakdown (based on the county recorded on the Illness Benefit certificate)

County Number of people who have been medically certified for receipt of Enhanced Illness Benefit to 24 November Number of people who have been medically certified for receipt of Enhanced Illness Benefit to 17 November Number of people who have been medically certified for receipt of Enhanced Illness Benefit to 10 November
Carlow 1,244 1,211 1,182
Cavan 2,310 2,272 2,228
Clare 1,633 1,588 1,544
Cork 9,724 9,466 9,220
Donegal 2,628 2,541 2,437
Dublin 24,607 24,072 23,495
Galway 5,464 5,345 5,197
Kerry 2,115 2,070 2,002
Kildare 4,320 4,249 4,173
Kilkenny 1,826 1,772 1,713
Laois 1,507 1,467 1,416
Leitrim 397 389 379
Limerick 3,077 2,960 2,883
Longford 746 734 697
Louth 2,581 2,523 2,465
Mayo 2,082 2,017 1,928
Meath 3,609 3,514 3,386
Monaghan 1,644 1,609 1,573
Offaly 1,407 1,377 1,349
Roscommon 1,278 1,243 1,217
Sligo 866 828 795
Tipperary 3,230 3,139 3,072
Waterford 3,212 3,079 2,982
Westmeath 1,635 1,584 1,540
Wexford 3,064 2,997 2,907
Wicklow 2,617 2,572 2,527
Other (NI & Foreign Address) 576 528 496
Total 89,399 87,146 84,803

Appendix 10 – COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit - Sector Breakdown

The sectors with the highest number of people who have been medically certified for receipt of a COVID-19 Illness Benefit payment to date are Wholesale and Retail Trade (19,163), Human Health and Social Work (16,381) and Manufacturing (12,356).

Sector Breakdown

Industrial Sector Number of people who have been medically certified for receipt of Enhanced Illness Benefit to 24 November Number of people who have been medically certified for receipt of Enhanced Illness Benefit to 17 November Number of people who have been medically certified for receipt of Enhanced Illness Benefit to 10 November
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing; Mining and Quarrying 880 852 819
Manufacturing 12,356 12,018 11,707
Electricity, gas, steam supply; Water supply; Sewerage, waste management 451 433 424
Construction 4,048 3,921 3,785
Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and motorcycles 19,163 18,689 18,178
Transportation and storage 3,263 3,177 3,093
Accommodation and food service activities 5,553 5,369 5,177
Information and communication activities 1,469 1,427 1,384
Financial and insurance activities 3,205 3,144 3,085
Real Estate activities 747 717 679
Professional, Scientific and Technical activities 2,798 2,720 2,651
Administrative and support service activities 7,860 7,692 7,528
Public Administration And Defence; Compulsory Social Security 3,594 3,514 3,412
Education 2,410 2,313 2,221
Human Health And Social Work activities 16,381 16,104 15,772
Arts, entertainment and recreation 867 848 825
Other Sectors 3,070 2,997 2,921
Unclassified or unknown 1,284 1,211 1,142
Total 89,399 87,146 84,803

Appendix 11 – Enhanced Illness Benefit - Age Profile

Age category Number of people who have been medically certified for receipt of Enhanced Illness Benefit to 24 November Number of people who have been medically certified for receipt of Enhanced Illness Benefit to 17 November Number of people who have been medically certified for receipt of Enhanced Illness Benefit to 10 November
< 25 13,611 13,195 12,648
25-34 22,202 21,563 20,976
35-44 24,483 23,971 23,392
45-54 17,720 17,308 16,893
55+ 11,383 11,109 10,894
Total 89,399 87,146 84,803

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