Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is right to highlight the value and the importance of the wage subsidy scheme. Its introduction predates my time in government and credit is due for same. Approximately €2.7 billion has been paid out to date under the scheme, and what we have sought to do in the July stimulus and the decisions we have taken as a Government is to provide the certainty that we can for as long as possible. As the Deputy stated, the scheme is due to run until the end of March, which is almost six months away. The issue is also being considered in the context of the budget, and I know that the Minister for Finance has spoken about it to this committee. However, we are under no illusion about the level of dependence that many employers have on the scheme now, and we need to think very carefully about the future of it, and particularly the effect of an abrupt end to it. We hear the Deputy's message.