Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have three questions which I will ask together if that is in order. If there are answers to them, I ask that they be given in writing following the meeting. My first question relates to rents for small and medium enterprises. I particularly refer to small businesses. Many of them have received forbearance from their landlords and those landlords are to be commended. Some have not received it, and I guess many have not, judging from the queries I have received. Has Mr. Hughes a view on whether a fast-tracked arbitration service could be provided for small businesses to engage with landlords to discuss reducing the rent and making rent sustainable to ensure they do not have to close their doors which I am sure is everybody's focus? The Department has produced a code of conduct but could more be done and should more be done to help businesses with commercial rents? Has any thought has been given to a fast-track system? I am not the only person who has been speaking about it. Has Mr. Hughes a view on how it would work and whether it should be recommended?

There was an allocation of an additional €4 million in budget 2021 under the heading of Health and Safety Authority pay. I understand a significant portion of that will go on pay restoration. I tabled a parliamentary question on that but the Department did not give me a breakdown on how much will go on pay restoration. How much will be left to convert for the provision of staff? Some of that €4 million will go towards pay restoration. Can Mr. Hughes give me a breakdown on that? The Minister of State, Deputy Troy, in a press conference, was adamant that it would all be for new staff. That parliamentary reply indicated that it will not all be to provide for new staff and that some of it will be for pay restoration. Mr. Hughes might give me the breakdown on that as I do not believe anybody would dispute that we will need additional health and safety inspectors.

Regarding remote working, has Mr. Hughes a position on the right of workers to disconnect? That has been much talk about the physical implications of Covid but the mental implications of it are major. People who are working from home tend to be always at work. I am sure many people in this room have had the experience of working at home. It has many advantages but it also has disadvantages, in particular for people's mental health when they do not have the right to disconnect. Does the Department have a position on giving employees a statutory right to disconnect so they can switch off when they are finished?