It is a silly issue to be bringing up. It is irresponsible.

The schedule was set last week and the Deputy knows it.

Cabinet changed.

With respect, it is an unfair accusation. The Deputy knows that the Tánaiste has to attend Cabinet meetings which should have been on yesterday but were moved in response to the European Council.

The Deputy should act in a businesslike manner.

Will the Deputy be there too for the entertainment?

The initial efforts were with the main banks because they have 90% of the customers. It will be open to all lending institutions to use the scheme.

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following: “acknowledges the essential work that has been carried out by so many different workers in the public and private sector during the ongoing Covid-19 public health emergency, and thanks those workers for their continued efforts; endorses the commitment within the Programme for Government to move to a living wage over the lifetime of the Government as part of the development of a new social contract between citizens and the…

I thank the Social Democrats for the opportunity to have this debate and all the Members for their contributions. I gather some Members have concerns about the countermotion but that is their right. The motion put forward certain views. We do not share all of those views so we tabled a countermotion but we all support developing and improving workers' rights. We are trying to get that balance right for decent work and decent workers and employees. We must also recognise there are many decent employers. Most contrib…

I will set out the current situation for the Deputy, if that is all right. As the Deputy might realise, Covid 19 has been included as a notifiable disease under the Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Regulations 2020. Any infectious disease pandemic is first and foremost a matter of public health, for which a legal basis for reporting already exists under public health legislation. Notifiable infectious diseases are statutorily reported under the Infectious Diseases Regulations 1981 to the Chief Medical Officer of the…

I understand that as part of the report, it will consult. We can check this. It is something we can also do when we get the report. To be clear, the Health and Safety Authority is aware that Covid-19 is a risk in healthcare settings and in other settings also. It is working with the HSE and individual employees in places of work to investigate the incidents among healthcare workers. The HSA is also investigating fatalities arising from cases where healthcare workers have contracted Covid-19. This is when they are c…

Every effort is being made to protect workers through the back to work protocols. That is an absolute guarantee. It is likewise in the health service. With regard to the changes and the biological agents regulations, this does not impact the reporting of Covid-19. The reporting requirements in the regulations require that the HSA be notified immediately of any accident or incident which may result in the release of a biological agent which could cause severe human infection or illness in a laboratory setting. For e…

I thank Deputy Bríd Smith for raising this issue. She has raised it in the House previously and she will understand we are appealing this decision, as confirmed by the Tánaiste last Thursday. I reiterate the Tánaiste's message at that time and again today to all workers and employers affected by this decision in regard to sectoral employment orders, that until the appeal process is concluded and legal certainty has been obtained, there can be no unilateral diminution of the terms and conditions of employees by empl…

It is fair to say that we, as Ministers, have over the past nine years committed to proving our worth when it comes to industrial relations. The Industrial Relations Act 2015 was quite a large Act. Previously, we had 15 or 16 years of discussion and legal cases. We tried to bring certainty to this and we acted on that with that legislation. We have built on that since and we have shown our absolute commitment here. The national minimum wage has been increased four or five times over the past nine years since we hav…

A number of agencies are working with departmental officials to ensure workers' rights are protected and there is follow-through on all the legislation we introduce in this House. That is the focus of a lot of our work in the Department. The Deputy referred to a particular report. Our officials work through all such reports and bring forward any changes that are required on foot of them. The machinery at the disposal of the State when it comes to employees' rights is very strong. We are proud of that machinery and …

The key focus of any grant, assistance around lending or other help provided to businesses to cope with the Covid-19 crisis is sustaining jobs and vulnerable but viable businesses. We referred to this last week. Our number one focus is helping businesses to survive and keep their doors open and then to thrive thereafter as well. That is the main focus but there are links to tax compliance in all the various grants, funds and opportunities given out by local enterprise offices, LEOs, Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland …

To be clear, the Tánaiste was referring to State and public contracts and we can deal with those under contract law. The Deputy asked me about our agencies, whose number one job has been helping businesses survive and stay open over these last few weeks and months. Only last week, the Deputy and many of her party colleagues were complaining that the application process for assistance was too cumbersome and involved too much red tape. Our focus is on getting supports and help out as quickly as we possibly can. While…

We will of course have thought and regard for all those employed; that is why we are in charge of employment legislation. We take that very seriously in our Department. We have several agencies that excel in their work in that area. They have built up much experience and they work with our Department and other agencies. Bodies such as our LEOs, local authorities, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland have to focus on business development and growth and putting the money out. The majority of jobs created under the remi…

I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on his new role.

It was well earned over many years of service and I wish him good luck. There are many new faces in here. I was going to say "in this House", but this is not actually the House. It is good to be here in the Seanad, however, and I welcome all the new Senators. There are many new faces and I am looking forward to working with everybody over the next couple of years. I had an important relationship with the Seanad during my previous term as a Minister of State. I found it a great place to come to, work in and bring le…