It is a well-established convention of the House that all parties have an opportunity, in order of their size, to speak on legislation or statements in the first round. We are merely seeking to ensure that that convention be continued. It is very disappointing to see the new Government, in one of its earliest moves regarding the business of the House, seek to dispense with that convention. This is not about denying Government backbenchers time to speak. They can have all the time they want to speak on legislation a…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. It provides for expenditure of in excess of €5 billion as well as some €2 billion in loan guarantees, and comprises 50 measures. It is very much a mixed bag. A number of elements of the plan are to be welcomed but I would seriously question a number of others. I welcome the support for the sectors that have been most impacted by Covid-19, particularly the hospitality industry, which has undoubtedly taken a huge hit during what is normally its very profitable season. T…

I appeal to the Minister again to rethink this scheme. She has time to do that given that her tax-back scheme does not come into operation until September or in the autumn. I am making a very strong appeal to her to reconsider because it excludes far too many people and it does not have the reach or impact it could potentially have if she took the other approach of a voucher.

I will stick to the issue of disability. The Enough is Enough group will be protesting shortly to highlight the urgent need to reopen disability day services. People with disabilities must get back to full services for their own sake but also to relieve the enormous stress on family carers. At the same time, the Taoiseach must accept that the organisations that provide most of those disability services face a complete lack of certainty about their core funding. The Taoiseach referenced the €20 million cut that was …

I would like clarification on those two issues. The Taoiseach has given a commitment about the €20 million but we have heard similar commitments a number of times over the past few months that have not been followed through. The Taoiseach has put that commitment on the record and I ask him to put it in writing today to the disability organisations and make it clear to the HSE that is the case. It has not been confirmed with the relevant organisations. There is no more time to be wasted before action is taken on the…

Will the Taoiseach put his commitment in writing?

Will he do it today?

We have heard these kinds of promises before.

On the help-to-buy scheme, I never thought it was a good idea and I certainly do not think so at this point. It appears to show a misunderstanding of the problem at the root of the cost of housing and the unaffordability of housing. That problem is the cost of land and the failure of successive Governments to address this issue. They have allowed widespread land hoarding to continue and, in so doing, allowed developers to control the cost of land and, therefore, housing. This subsidy approach is absolutely wrong. A…

I did, and I will raise some issues regarding this amendment. On Second Stage, I raised these issues but there was no opportunity for the Minister to respond then. Given the substantial subsidies involved, and it is only right that that should be the case, there should also be some conditionality attached. One obvious area concerns conditions of employment. The Minister could have used this as an opportunity to ensure that employers treated workers properly regarding the right to collective bargaining and the right…

I wish to reply to the Minister. My understanding is that the Payroll Software Developers Association, PSDA, identified implementation difficulties. I cannot itemise them, but I understand it did. Does the Minister accept it is not a good idea to have an indication or a mark on a payslip showing that the employee was in receipt of a subsidy because there are negative implications of that in terms of borrowing? Regarding the floor of €151.50, many people are quite happy and are only in a position to work ten or 12 h…

Can the Taoiseach tell us what is the legal basis on which social welfare inspectors and gardaí are operating checkpoints at Dublin Airport for the purpose of identifying social welfare recipients and child benefit recipients in order to cut their payments? Can he tell us the precise legal powers under which they are taking this action? There is a power to stop people if there are reasonable grounds to believe they are engaged in fraud or whatever, but in the absence of knowledge of the people being stopped in thes…

What are those powers?

That is a different situation.

There is a reasonable ground for it.

I congratulate the Leas-Cheann Comhairle on her election. It is a great result. There is no doubt that she has a very good track record in chairing the proceedings of the Dáil in a very fair manner. I have no doubt that she will continue like that and I wish her well personally and professionally. There has been much talk about a victory for Ireland after the judgment of the General Court. However, it has to be accepted that this is a Pyrrhic victory for the taxpayers of Ireland and, indeed, the taxpayers of severa…

I gave the Minister notice of two issues in the House yesterday. The first relates to international travel. Earlier today the Minister said that every protection is in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19. A response to a recent parliamentary question said that almost 62,000 passengers arrived through Dublin airport in the first two weeks of July. Currently, the Department of Justice and Equality is responsible for the follow up with those passengers. I was curious to know the level of follow up. The Minister an…

Both of these issues are too serious to use the kick-to-touch approach. I did give the Minister notice about these issues. How can the Minister defend a situation where 62,000 people are coming into the country, many of them coming from countries or states which have high rates of the virus, and that of those only 2,000 are actually followed up comprehensively by the Department of Justice and Equality? The Minister said he was going to find out what is happening. The Department of Justice and Equality is clear. It …

Is the HSE to proceed with those cuts?

The Minister did not.