Mark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I agree with what the Chairman said about the special committee and thanking its members for the terrific work they did. They kept us informed when we were looking in with regard to what was actually going on. The questions they asked were very important.

I will start with something close to the Chairman's heart, namely, broadband. It is, for rural Ireland, the number one topic. We can talk about post offices, which are so important as well - and we need to ensure we open and keep open as many of them as possible - but rural broadband is the number one issue. Thankfully, so many firms are now allowing their employees to work from home but, unfortunately, they cannot anymore and they have to look at what broadband is available to them. Deputy Ó Cuív is right that it comes down to phone services. I know many people in Kildare, which is not a million miles away from the capital here, who cannot get phone coverage, which is totally unacceptable in this day and age. It is a huge challenge for us all to ensure that we roll out broadband as quickly as possible, as the Chairman tried to do during his time as Minister. We also need to consider something that was mentioned recently at one of our committee meetings, namely, rural hubs and hot desks, as they are referred to, in our rural towns. We need to give people options such that they do not have to travel or commute but that they have a standard of living and a quality of life and that they can go to their nearest point. This has shown up as an issue during this pandemic.

One of the big issues that has arisen is rural isolation. We have had terrific support from local authorities and local community groups but they have been amazed, judging by the conversations I have had with them, going around the communities to see the extent of isolation in rural areas and people living by themselves who do not see another human being or neighbour for days or weeks. We need to tackle this and ensure that it does not happen again. Thankfully, such groups have been able to provide hot meals, etc., with the support of local authorities and the Government, but we need to look at this as a society. Rural isolation cannot be left like it was before. I have spoken to so many people involved in these groups who when they knocked on doors were amazed at the people they found behind those doors, who were living in isolation for days and weeks on end. This is something the pandemic has shown up and something we cannot let happen again.

I agree with what other members said about the fortnightly payments. Older people in particular find change hard to deal with. Communication is key in this regard. They had been used to getting their payments weekly. They knew how much of their payments was going on solid fuel and whatever other charges they had each week. To manage that fortnightly was very difficult for many people, so we need to look at that and to inform them very early in the day so they can change their habits. As we all know, habits form part of every older person's life. I heard weekly, even daily, "When will my next payment come through so I can manage my payments?" As a committee, we need to look at payments, particularly for older people.

As for the PUP, one issue is those who were under 18 years of age and who were working. A large cohort of 17-year-olds did not qualify for the PUP, as I understand it. They were paying full tax and PRSI each week but did not qualify. We need to look at that. It was highlighted recently on a local radio programme to which I listened. A 17-year-old who had been working for the past year and, as I said, paying tax, etc., did not qualify for the PUP. That is not acceptable. If one is paying full PRSI, one should qualify for the PUP. Surely we should look at that.

Deputy Ó Cathasaigh referred to private operators and transport, which is another major problem. It took too long for us to get them back up and running. When I talked to representatives of the NTA, I was told that a sum of money was promised but that the money was not getting back to the private operators or did not get back quickly enough. We cannot allow this to continue because transport, particularly in rural areas and rural towns, is vital for people to connect with their work.

The PUP is still a massive issue for students. They want to know where they stand on it. As we are aware, most students, thankfully, are now back at college and so on, but many of them had the PUP and they all want to know what about repayments and such. A huge issue for many people is the repayments and any tax liabilities that may be coming up in respect of the PUP.

Other members mentioned the arts and musicians and taxi drivers, who are all directly affected by what has gone on during the pandemic. We really need consider in future the self-employed and how a pandemic has affected them to the degree it has done. I agree with what other members have said in that regard.

Finally, I am actively involved with Text Alert locally. This initiative has shown its worth and how it can work in ensuring, going back to rural isolation, that we do not leave behind those who need us most. That is one thing this pandemic has shown. There is a cohort of people who need protection, and I hope we can ensure that those people are protected in future.