Treasury Minister wants to press 'pause' on EPA changes

Tynwald asked to approve further six month delay

Changes to rules surrounding Employed Person's Allowance could be paused due to the impact of Covid-19.

Tynwald members will be asked to approve a further six-month delay to amendments first signed-off in 2019.

They've already been postponed twice.

The changes would see an increase in the minimum number of hours that some people must work in order to qualify for EPA.

Treasury Minister David Ashford said: "The world is a very different place to when these changes were approved, in 2019, and the financial impact of the Coronavirus pandemic is still of great concern to many in our community.

"With this in mind, and the agreement of Tynwald, I'd like to press the pause button.

"If approved a six-month delay will enable us to assess the position and consider the impact these changes may have on vulnerable working families."

Tynwald will be asked to approve the delay at January’s sitting of the court.

If the delay is approved people will have to do the following, from October 2022, to qualify:

• Lone parents whose youngest or only child is aged 13 or over must work at least 24 hours a week (currently 16 hours)
• Couples whose youngest or only child is aged 6 or over must work at least 48 hours a week (currently 30 hours), but they will be able to make up these hours in whatever combination they choose. For example, one partner could work 40 hours a week while the other partner works 8 hours a week, or they could both work 24 hours a week
• Couples whose youngest or only child is aged under 6 must work at least 35 hours a week (currently 30 hours), but they will be able to make up these hours in whatever combination they choose, like the example above.