Varadkar: Decision on how long to extend COVID-19 payments for may be made by next government
by Stephen McNeiceThe decision on how long the COVID-19 emergency payments will last may be made by the next government.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has confirmed the pandemic payment will be extended beyond the current June expiry date.
The Labour Party has said it would be premature to end the payments before people are fully back to work, while Sinn Féin has called for it to remain in place until at least Christmas.
Mr Varadkar today suggested it "may well be" a new Government that will actually make the call.
He told the Dáil: "Anyone who hasn't been offered their job back will continue to receive the pandemic unemployment payment beyond June.
"Government will have to make a decision - this Government or the new government will have to make a decision as to how long that will be extended too, and will also have to deal with some of the anomalies which people are aware of already.
"They may well be decisions for the next government, and decisions that may require a further revised estimate in the future."
Meanwhile, the Taoiseach insisted "nobody is considering cutting the pandemic unemployment payment" for people who were earning €300-400 a week before the Christmas.
Responding to questions from People Before Profit's Richard Boyd Barrett, Mr Varadkar said: "We had to put out a flat payment, and that's what we did and we stand over doing that.
"Somebody who is working full-time on the minimum wage... would have been earning over €400 a week. Nobody is suggesting that the €350 be reduced in that case.
"What has been identified... is there are people who were working only 10 hours a week, perhaps earning €20 an hour or €200 a week... and are now getting €350. We're saying that's not sustainable."
Deputy Boyd Barrett called on the Taoiseach to give a "clear commitment" to people who may face protracted loss of earnings that their payments wouldn't be cut.
In response, Mr Varadkar insisted any "tapering" of the payment would be to ensure people aren't earning more than they were before the pandemic.