Number Kildare people on PUP drops below 3,000 for first time

The number of Kildare people receiving the PUP has fallen to 2,971, according to the latest figures. 

As hospitality industry returns to work and arts events are resuming, the tally has fallen by around 300 in the last week alone. 

PUP numbers peaked during the first lockdown in May 2020 when 26,896 people were claiming the financial support.

This week, the Department of Social Protection issued €16.96 million in PUP amounts to 67,434 people across Ireland. 

This represents a decrease of 7,979 on the number of people in receipt of the payment last week.

In addition, a further 4,881 people, who are receiving payment today, closed their PUP claim between 31st January and 6th February, 2022.

These figures are in addition to the 162,578 people who were on the Live Register at the end of January. 

Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys said:

“Without doubt, the PUP has acted as a vital support since the onset of this Pandemic, having cushioned the incomes of hundreds of thousands of workers.

“In fact, over €9.1 billion has been paid out in PUP payments since the support was introduced.

“With the economy now fully re-open, it is welcome to see the number of people receiving the PUP fall over the past seven days, with further decreases expected in the weeks to come.

“In the meantime, we will continue to roll-out the suite of supports under the Government’s Pathways to Work Strategy, which will be key as we embark on our recovery from Covid-19.”

 Having re-opened for workers who had been impacted by the restrictions in early December, PUP closed for new applications on 22nd January 2022 in line with the Government decision to lift these restrictions.

 The next phase in the process of transitioning people from PUP onto standard jobseeker terms, which was due to commence at the end of January was deferred for a period of 4 weeks.  It is intended that PUP will be fully closed by the end of March. The Department will contact all PUP recipients in the coming days to explain how the transition process affects them and the steps they may need to take to ensure a smooth transition.