Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This section is five lines in length and more or less says that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform wants to open the schools. In other words, we should move on, forget about whoever is hurt by the whole thing, get the schools open and get the pupils and teachers into their accommodation. Of course, we do not want schools that were paid for by the State to remain closed. Equally, we do not want people to end up laying off all their staff. Value for money is all very good if it is value for money. If we want to privatise the risk and pay a bit extra, so be it. However, we have ended up with the risk coming back on the State and with businesses going bust. Presumably, if they go to the wall, those companies will not be paying Revenue or their staff and will not be making pension contributions. They will lay off people who will then report to their local social welfare offices. It is a very bad model whereby we give out money to a main contractor who then does not pay the subcontractors and for us then to state that we have no blood on our hands and no responsibility and that it is up to the subcontractors to take out private insurance. Does Mr. Howard not agree?