Niall Blaney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Much has been said in the past, particularly during lockdown, about front-line workers and I second the proposal by Senator Murphy. We have all seen how hard they have worked. When we think of front-line workers, we think of those who are at the front line in the health services. Without wishing to take away anything from those workers, I would like to acknowledge today the work of our postmen, An Post's workers. During lockdown they were asked to take on extra activities, such as dropping in to the elderly in rural Ireland, in the communities they attend on a daily basis. They were also asked to take on the role of reading meters for the ESB. For many postmen it was a natural fit because it is what they do day in and day out. It needs to be acknowledged. I hope the Government and An Post acknowledge that, particularly when it comes to the future of An Post's services. Postmen are not just a delivery service; they are much more than that and it needs to be acknowledged.

I wish also to acknowledge the start the Government has made. It took many months and weeks to have a Government established but it has to be said that this Government has hit the ground running. I very much welcome the July stimulus that is coming and to which I will return in a moment. It is imperative that our schools open in September. It is really imperative that we do everything in our power to ensure our children get back to some normality at the end of August or in early September. The Minister, Deputy Foley, is doing a lot in this regard. The July stimulus is very welcome and much work is going on behind the scenes.

I wish to refer quickly to the tourism sector. The need for the new unit that has been set up in the Taoiseach's office has probably become more evident given the difference in the VAT rate for the tourism sector north and south of the Border. If that joined-up approach was there before, it would have made life much easier. It has made it very difficult regarding the July stimulus. I hope we start moving more collectively in future. We need to look at the abolition of rates for the rest of the year. I hope medium-sized businesses with more than 50 employees are included in the stimulus.