Today is the last day you can sign on for the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP. Despite the Government's promises that there would be no cliff for people on income supports such as the PUP, that cliff is now being created. For example, if you are a musician or a performer, and you benefit from the live performance support scheme, LPSS, over the next two months, you cannot go back on PUP, even though you may only get one bit of work. That is a cliff for all of those people.

There is also a cliff for anybody who goes down to the €203 payment rate, regardless of the fact that they want to return to their industry, whether it is travel, tourism, taxi driving, music or live performance. They are now going to be told that they have to come off the PUP and apply for jobseeker's allowance, when in fact they want to return to their own industries. That is a grossly unfair punishment and represents a cliff for people who have been affected by pandemic measures.

First, I would say to the Deputy that we need balance and perspective in this debate.

Please.

He has been on and on about it, but he never gives the basic facts of how extensive the support has been - and rightly so as that support is needed. To date, the expenditure on PUP is over €8.2 billion. Just under 900,000 people have benefited from the scheme. That demonstrates the Government's clear commitment to support workers and businesses that have been severely affected by Covid-19. I do not think he should present the Government's position as being one of always trying to hit workers or undermine them when the opposite is the case.

The opposite is the case. A variety of supports, in addition to PUP, has been given to a range of sectors, but he will never acknowledge that because it is beyond his-----