‘Boost’ for 4,805 people in Kilkenny as €2m paid out in ‘pandemic arrears’

A total of €2,039,601 in arrears under the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) has been paid out to 4,805 people living in Kilkenny.

A total of €129.2 million has been paid out to more than 286,000 people across the country this week.

Kilkenny TD John Paul Phelan said the payments will come as a “welcome boost” for many people in the countdown to Christmas.

Deputy Phelan said: “The money was paid ahead of the rollout of the Christmas Bonus, which will see almost €390 million paid out to 1.6 million people nationwide.

“Between these arrears and the Christmas Bonus, over a half a billion euro will be paid out nationwide over the course of a week.”

With just 23 shopping days left until Christmas, the local Fine Gael TD also urged people to shop locally and support small businesses.

Deputy Phelan (pictured below) added: “Retailers in Kilkenny city and across the county have had a challenging time during the Covid pandemic and all of us should do right by them and buy presents and other essentials this Christmas.”

Commenting on the arrears payments, Social Protestion Minister Heather Humphreys said: “My department examined a total of 1.4million applications to check if arrears were due and today we are paying out €129.2 million to approximately 286,000 people

“This payment will be on top of the Christmas Bonus of €389 million that will be paid next week. That is over half a billion into the economy within a week and my strong message to people is ‘Shop Irish and Shop local to support local businesses and local jobs. The retailers are open and they deserve our support.”