Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Five separate issues jump out at me from the contents of the report. The first is the issue of post office payments. As the Covid response has meant a move to fortnightly payments, this has had a big impact on the post offices, which we know are very often the linchpin of services in communities and rural places, in that it has significantly reduced the number of transactions happening in them. It is also having an impact on people who are dependent on social protection payments in that they now have to budget on a fortnightly rather than a weekly basis. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has raised concerns that people in those income groups are finding it more difficult to budget on a fortnightly basis. It is an issue the committee should examine.

Second, I welcome the fact there is an inflection on the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, to include an earnings disregard. This is particularly significant for people in the performing arts sector and supporting industries such as set design, lighting and costume design as well as for the small public service vehicle industry. They will now be allowed to have some earnings and still be entitled to the PUP, which is welcome. People in those industries believe it will be a long time before they are functioning and back on their feet, so this will allow some sort of pathway for people to continue. Many people in the performing arts industry are dying to get back to practice so they can begin performing again, and this provides some sort of pathway for that.

I want to raise an issue that might be more properly considered by the transport committee, namely, the impact on rural communities, in particular, of the shutdown of private coach operators. While other facets of the Covid response were quick and timely, there is no doubt there was a significant time lag in engaging with private coach operators. Like most public representatives, I could point to several places in my constituency where people did not have access to a public transport option and, if they did not have their own car, might not have had other options available to them. Perhaps this is something we need to look at going forward.

With regard to Gaeilge and the islands, I would be interested to know whether there are infection rate figures specific to the islands, given they are obviously a case where it would be possible to pursue a zero-Covid strategy. We are aware the population demographics on the islands mean more people are susceptible to the worst effects of this virus but, on the other hand, we have to balance that against the reliance of the economy of the islands on tourism. A balancing act will be involved, therefore, in deciding whether the islands can be reopened at level 2 or level 1, depending on their specific infection rates, and whether that is going to be practical in terms of the impact on the economy of the islands.

I have a minor point to make on language. Not all of the Covid information was released in Irish and English at the same time. While that is probably more for the coiste Gaeilge to discuss, particularly with the Acht teanga coming down the tracks, this is something the State needs to get better at. It should be a matter of course that any State material that is published in English is also simultaneously published as Gaeilge. Those are the five points that jumped out at me from the report.