I will answer each question in turn. It is my intention to bring an update on the stability programme to the Cabinet and the House in the next two weeks. It merits discussion in the Dáil Chamber and the Government can give an indication as to where we are from an Exchequer and employment point of view. Deputy Michael McGrath asked about expenditure and that could amount to as much as €8 billion. The reason I use that figure is because there are some trade-offs within the figures that we have announced. In particula…

I thank Deputies Doherty and Brady. Deputy Doherty referred to the wage subsidy scheme. I apologise to him because I should have notified him of the detail on what we were doing in advance. I want to put that on the record. I was under some urgent pressure to try to get the changes in place so payrolls could be affected quickly. Notwithstanding the urgency, I should have notified the Deputy of the change that was coming. On the question he put to me, I appreciate that he welcomed the changes we have made. I have ma…

I will do my best. I too congratulate the Deputy on his opening address and wish him the best of luck in his tenure in this Dáil representing the people of Wicklow. On arbitration, the Government does not have a role to play between commercial tenants and their landlords. Nevertheless, I would say to any commercial landlord that it should appreciate the value of keeping a tenant, particularly a commercial one, when we move into a much-changed economy as we exit where we are with Covid-19. As for a rates write-off, …

I thank the Deputy for his recognition of the work that was done on the wage subsidy scheme. I want to recognise the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, and IBEC for the role they played in terms of putting forward ideas for how we can support our economy and, crucially, for explaining these schemes to their members. The role they have played in explaining these schemes has been critical for keeping people in work and I want to acknowledge that. They have raised particular issues, as have Members of this House, i…

Deputy Durkan's first question related to whether the mortgage could be extended for a number of months. My understanding is that some banks have an issue since this could require the issue of a new mortgage contract. That is why this is something not all banks have been able to do. However, as I said in an exchange earlier, I am aware of issues that have developed since the initial statement was made. My officials have been working on this and we will see if there are new ways in which the issue that Deputy Durkan…

Where one-parent family recipients contact the local Intreo centre to state they are no longer receiving maintenance due to the liable relatives losing their jobs, they need to provide a declaration to that effect. The result of this declaration means their means will be reassessed on that basis and a review marked for 12 weeks. Liable relatives who are resident in this jurisdiction and are not working because of the Covid-19 pandemic should be entitled to either the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment or, if th…

I will double-check the figures that were given to Deputy Paul Murphy and I will check what the Taoiseach said earlier about the level of payment that is being made to private hospitals. The fundamental reason we have accessed this bed capacity is, in particular if Covid-19 intensifies in the way it could, the beds that are available in the private hospitals and in particular their intensive care facilities could play a critical role in keeping the country safe, avoiding loss of life and keeping more citizens healt…

I answered the Deputy's question earlier. I know who I am and I know what job I am doing. The Deputy asked me why have we entered into an agreement with private hospitals and I explained-----

-----why we are entering into an arrangement with them. I gave an answer to the Deputy. I do not have available to me a breakdown of the individual costs. I will get information in that regard and notwithstanding any commercial confidentiality agreement involved, what is available to me and that which can be publicly shared, I will share with the Deputy. On whether any individual company is participating on the scheme, I am not in a position to comment on any company in the scheme. However, I will say that it is my…

I am sorry, a Cheann Comhairle. I want to conclude on this point; I think it is six minutes. The full value of that subsidy should be passed on to an employee.

I understand that is a matter for the environmental health section of the HSE. That is my information. All employers by this point should be fully aware of their responsibilities. If any employees feel any concerns about their physical safety, they should absolutely be in a position where they can speak up, where their employer should respond and where workplaces be made safe. The public health guidance from the Government on this issue is clear. The National Public Health Emergency Team has issued guidance on this…

First, extending the income subsidy scheme at the end of the 12-week period is a decision for the Dáil to make. The average cost of the income support schemes we have in place at the moment is between €300 million and €400 million per week. The future of that particular scheme is, and will be, a very significant decision, but my very strong view is that while we can fund that scheme to respond to this phase of Covid-19, it and the pandemic unemployment payment are not schemes the State can fund indefinitely. A deci…

I thank the Deputy for her questions. I understand that the matter raised in her first question relates more to the operation of the pandemic payment as opposed to the wage subsidy scheme. If the Deputy has any correspondence in respect of that issue from carers or other groups, she might pass it on to me and I will respond on her behalf. The pandemic payment has been structured to help those who were working on a particular date, lost that work and are no longer working. It is therefore the case that some people a…

In regard to Deputy Pringle's two questions, I want to deal with the matter of reserves and make very clear that because a company has cash-in-hand is not a reason for it either to apply for this scheme or be on it. I have spoken directly to the chairman of the Revenue Commissioners on this point and he made the point to me that a company having reserves or cash-in-hand is exactly what it needs to be able to recover, honour commitments it may have to suppliers and pay debts. To be absolutely clear about it, a compa…

That is because our health experts are still of the very strong view that the level of transmission of Covid-19 in our country is such that the measures we have in place will be in place for some while. Regarding seasonal workers, the Deputy has raised that issue with me on a number of occasions. The reason they are not able to access the pandemic payment is because they were not working on 13 March. The Minister, Deputy Ross, and the Minister of State, Deputy Griffin, have asked to meet me on this matter because i…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. I have covered a number of different matters with Deputies in responding to their questions. When I take the stability programme update to the Government and have it agreed I would like to be in a position to update Dáil Éireann on it. I believe it is appropriate that I am able to inform the House regarding where we are with the total level of support that is being made available to the economy and also with the Government's view regarding the impact of this disease on our economy in 20…

Over the past number of weeks, the Government has introduced unprecedented measures. It introduced public health measures which are designed to flatten the curve and slow the spread of the disease to the greatest extent possible. Those measures, although necessary, have undoubtedly had a very significant and negative effect on our economy. Therefore, we have sought to lessen the economic impact through a number of actions. These include new and enhanced social protection payments for workers who, through no fault o…

The proposed amendment relates to section 1(2)(a) of the Bill, which is the commencement provision for Part 3 of the Bill and relates to planning and building control matters. The amendment seeks to control the Bill so that rather than the emergency provision being commenced by order of the Minister at an appropriate and effective time when it is needed, the emergency planning provision would instead lose this flexibility and it would automatically commence this Monday, 30 March 2020. I ask the Senator to consider …

I can tell the Senator that during normal times this is exactly the kind of provision that should be contained in legislation. I will draw an analogy to the rainy day fund, which is meant for use at times of great risk. The operation of the rainy day fund has the kind of steps and checks built in that Senator Clifford-Lee is proposing. What makes the times we are in so different is that it is entirely possible that a decision might be needed to change the guidance we are giving to various Departments and local auth…

The Seanad is asked that the Bill stay as it is because of the speed at which it may be necessary to change public health guidance. It is entirely feasible that a decision could be taken in a morning, for example, that needs to be implemented that afternoon. This is why authority in this resides within the Executive. I emphasise again to Senator Clifford-Lee that I believe it is incredibly unlikely that this would set any kind of a precedent for use in legislation at a normal time. Even during our economic crisis a…