I am sharing my time with Deputy Seán Canney, although he is not here yet. Fireworks are often at the centre of antisocial activity around Hallowe'en but what is shocking is the fact that in Ireland today more than 500,000 people have their lives disrupted by antisocial behaviour throughout the year. A report published recently by the Central Statistics Office, CSO, showed that one in eight adults in Ireland said their lives had been affected by such activity at some stage last year. If we apply that to the adult p…

Will changes be considered to the employment wage subsidy scheme as announced in the Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill, specifically for businesses involved exclusively in tourism, travel agents, gift shops and the chauffeur industry? These are small niche industries that have been decimated by the pandemic. They urgently need support to survive to the end of 2021. The new employment wage subsidy scheme has been designed for companies that have lost 30% of turnover, but businesses such as travel agencies, gift s…

I thank the Independent Group for bringing this motion before the House. The issue of protecting workers' rights in the event of a business folding has taken on a whole new urgency in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Huge losses have been suffered by Ireland's SME sector over the past six months or so, running into billions of euro. Many small businesses have already been forced to close. Genuine fears have been expressed that some of the big retail chains, large employers with headquarters in other countries,…

Publicans are extremely worried about the long-term impact of Covid-19 on their businesses and their future. Many business owners feel they will not be in a position to open properly until a vaccine is found and they will require major financial support until that time. Social distancing is extremely difficult to maintain in a pub setting, but keeping pubs closed indefinitely is resulting in a massive surge in home drinking and uncontrolled house parties. This is contributing to the spread of Covid-19 and an increa…

I request that legislation be introduced to strengthen powers and increase penalties to address the scourge of illegal dumping which is rampant across the country. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused many changes in our country and, unfortunately, it has significantly increased the amount of illegal taking place both in cities and rural areas. There is scope under the current waste management legislation to seize vehicles or equipment involved in illegal dumping activity and have these vehicles disposed of as the comp…

I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak on the Bill and I acknowledge the tremendous amount of work that former Senator, Pádraig Ó Céidigh, did in bringing forward the Perjury and Related Offences Bill 2018. The Bill received cross-party support when it was passed in the Seanad in June 2019. The fact the Bill is included in the programme for Government demonstrates the urgency and importance of signing the Bill into law. In drafting the Bill, Pádraig Ó Céidigh met the Bar Council, the Law Reform Commission,…

On the same issue but with regard to a different group of people, I ask the Taoiseach to support the chauffeur industry. These are a group that have felt forgotten about throughout this pandemic. They are often the first and last point of contact of overseas visitors to Ireland. They collect tourists from the airports, and chauffeur them to hotels, restaurants, festivals and tourism locations across Ireland. Last week, they organised a drive-to-survive from Killarney to Donegal and from there to Dublin via Galway. …

On page 55 of the programme for Government, under the mission of housing for all, it states: "We believe that home ownership should be within the reach of all our citizens." Over the past number of years, I have met hundreds of young couples who are working but have no real hope of owning their own home. They are earning slightly too much to qualify for social housing but not enough to secure a mortgage to purchase a home. They are stuck in a rental trap, struggling to save for a deposit. Local authorities througho…

It is a Fianna Fáil problem now.

I congratulate the Minister and Ministers of State on their appointments. Will the public procurement threshold be increased from €25,000 to help kick-start the SME sector?

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. The threshold of €25,000 has not been increased for at least ten years. In 2011, Deputies from all parties, including Government ones, set up a group in the House to see whether something could be done to increase the public procurement threshold. We spoke to the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, who had responsibility for this matter at one time. The issue mostly had to do with supplying services to schools. The Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, referred to 94%…

I welcome the opportunity to engage. During one of our committee meetings on this issue at which officials from the office of the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, were in attendance, it was put to us and the groups appearing before us that four or five businesses should get together and tender as a group. That would not work, though. There could not be four or five businesses in the same town tendering for something. How would the contract be divided between them? The SME sector is responsible for employing mor…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. I offer my deepest sympathy to the family, friends and members of An Garda Síochána on the recent tragic death of Detective Garda Colm Horkan. I also pay tribute to all the front-line staff who have done so much for this country in recent months during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is 140 days today since the general election took place. This has been a record length of time without a Government, during which Ireland and the world have changed completely. Since the election on 8…

The tremendous sacrifice of the people in recent months has meant that we as a nation have made great progress in flattening the curve. I pay tribute to the front-line staff who have done Trojan work over the past few months in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. They have put their lives at risk to care for the sick and get us where we are today. Unfortunately, some of them lost their lives and I offer my condolences to their families and the families of all those who have lost a loved one due to the coronavirus. …

I will not go over many of the questions asked already about the health system and personal protective equipment. I have four quick questions and I will go through them fairly quickly. The Taoiseach might answer them all together. The small and medium-sized, SME, business sector will be crucial to the kick-starting of the economy. It has been the hardest hit. Almost 1 million people have been employed in the SME sector. What assurances can the Taoiseach and the Government give that everything that can be done will …

I pay tribute to all front-line staff and all who have answered the call, both at home and from abroad, to help meet the challenges facing our health services at this unprecedented time. These are the people at the forefront of this battle which faces our nation at this challenging and uncertain period. These are the doctors, consultants and all other medical professionals, as well as the Garda, fire services, local authority, Defence Forces and social welfare staff. In addition, we must acknowledge others who are …

A Cheann Comhairle, I too wish to congratulate you on your re-election. It is a great honour for you and your family. I have always found you to be very fair. I also wish to congratulate Deputy Naughten on putting his name forward for the role. It is great to have an election for a position; it is what democracy is all about. I join other Deputies in welcoming new Members. I remember walking into the House as a new Member in 2002. It was a great honour to walk through the gates of Leinster House and into this Chamb…