First, I join colleagues in expressing gratitude to Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection staff across the country, particularly in my own region in Dundalk, who have worked in a Trojan-like fashion since reality of this crisis dawned on us. They represent the very best of our civil and public servants and our civil and public service culture. Unfortunately, when difficult decisions may have to be taken over the next few months, an attempt is being made to divide private and public sector workers. …

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. Some weeks ago, that well-known left-wing firebrand, the deputy governor of the Central Bank, stated that we should be wary of socialising the costs of the private sector, whether it is big business, banks or landlords, while profits continue to be privatised. Yet the Covid-19 business package announced by the Minister a number of weeks ago, and updated just two weeks ago, has a noticeable lack of any social or environmental conditionality attached to those mechanisms. In many…

I join colleagues in expressing my condolences to the families of all of those who have lost loved ones as a result of Covid-19 since we last met in this House. In particular, I join my colleague from the constituency of Louth, Deputy Ó Murchú, in extending my sympathies to the families of those who have lost their lives in Dealgan House Nursing Home. I would appreciate if the Minister shared with his colleagues in the Louth and Meath East Dáil constituencies his views and the views he receives from the HSE when he…

A lot of ground indeed, and here is more. I put on record my appreciation of the Minister's efforts to address one of the key anomalies identified in the operation of the temporary wage subsidy scheme and the speed at which he acted under what were difficult circumstances. It was inevitable that there would be anomalies in the scheme, and a number of other Deputies have identified some of those on which they may correspond with the Minister and his Department. Does the Minister intend to oblige companies of a certa…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Covid-19 emergency Bill on behalf of the Labour Party. It is fair to say that nobody could have predicted this pandemic but we can always predict the response of the Irish people when faced with a crisis of any description. It is only through shared solidarity, through community and collective action and a selfless concern for others that we can overcome this challenge. Our front-line heroes are the embodiment of those values - the healthcare staff who are putting their li…

Are we dealing with just the Department of Health, or with that Department and the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection?

The Acting Chair might advise the House on the timeline of the revised order.

We covered the Department of Finance measures earlier but I apologise to the Minister that I was not in the Chamber to hear his reply. He will recall that in my previous contribution, I raised the issue of employers that seek to engage on the temporary wage subsidy scheme and issues that may arise with creditors and insolvency. I referred to the potential for them to trade recklessly or fraudulently and all that arises from that, and to the exposure of employers that may wish to get involved in that scheme. The Min…

I want to raise a brief point in regard to building workers. If in doubt, we should simply ensure that building sites are closed. There is no way in this world that we can, at every single juncture, ensure that all building workers are protected and adhere at all times to social distancing. I will leave it at that.

I appeal to the Minister to take on board and accept many of these very sensible amendments because the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. As I said on Second Stage, the concept and principle of the wage subsidy scheme has much to recommend it. I again want to pay tribute to the trade union movement and the main employer body, IBEC, for their work on this and for persuading the Government of the merits of this income replacement approach, which is very expensive. It is unprecedented in the history of the S…

I move amendment No. 71: In page 31, to delete lines 24 to 28 and substitute the following: “ “12A.(1)(a) Section 12 shall not have effect during the emergency period in respect of an employee who has been laid off or kept on short-time due to the effects of measures required to be taken by his or her employer in order to comply with, or as a consequence of, Government policy to prevent, limit, minimise or slow the spread of infection of Covid-19. (b) Where an employee’s period of service is interrupted for any per…