Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have one further question. It is on something I have raised with the party leaders both privately and publicly, the issue of the pandemic unemployment payment as against the temporary wage subsidy scheme and the new wage subsidy scheme. I believe we should do everything possible to ensure that as many employees as possible remain on those latter schemes and that employers are encouraged and supported in that regard. We should ensure that employees maintain, insofar as is possible, the same level of income through those supports as they had earned when they were in employment because, as we hopefully transition out of the Covid-19 restrictions and away from the pandemic unemployment payment, we will see challenges arise in getting people back into the workforce. Employers may not have a full week's work for their employees. They may only have one or two days a week. The temporary wage subsidy scheme and the employment wage subsidy scheme are far more effective in transitioning people back into employment than the pandemic unemployment payment.

As I have said from the outset, that is where the focus should have been from day one. Unless we address this now, when the payments are at their current rates, and put a structured transition in place, we are only kicking a grenade down the road which will cause great disruption for the families who rely on this income, for employers and for the economy overall. I will now let the Minister respond to the various questions.