John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

At a previous meeting, when we were dealing with matters in private session, the committee noted the Taoiseach and Tánaiste had not responded to a request from this committee to make a written submission on the process that was engaged in regarding the Secretary General of the Department of Health, how it started and so on. The Minister might say he stands over the process of selection but the committee is anxious to examine that in a much more detailed way. The submissions would have helped. That the Tánaiste and Taoiseach did not respond shows great disrespect not only to this committee but also to the whole process of parliament. There is a lesson to be learned from this. The Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, who was also acting Secretary General of the Department of Health at the time, was also asked for a submission. He gave a very curt one-liner as a response that I would suggest the committee is not satisfied with at all. I could not stand over the process of selection. I have grave reservations about the political input into the whole idea that the salary should be increased by more than €80,000. The committee is undertaking this investigation with the Committee of Public Accounts and we intend to have our hearings very shortly. The actions of the Taoiseach and Tánaiste, however, give certain licence to senior civil servants who then turn around and treat the committees in the same way as their political masters do. It seems as if the roles are now reversed and that the civil servants are now the masters and the political participants at that level are simply punching in.

I do not mind clocking in every day but I wonder how many times Secretaries General clock in or account for their time. That is a legitimate question to ask. It is a fair question. If Secretaries General can devise methods to have the Members of Parliament clock in, surely the Members of Parliament should expect the type of leadership that will ensure Secretaries General account for themselves. The whole process to date smacks of an old boys' club. They decided on the outcome and then they decided how they were going to get to it. That is my strong belief and I believe it is the general belief of the public, who are now far more involved in this type of politics than they were previously. It does not bode well for the future, for the role of committees in the Parliament or, indeed, for the Parliament itself. I suggest that those who hold leadership positions take off their gloves, get down and dirty and show the quality of their leadership by not being walked all over by a group of civil servants who, in my opinion, have had it their way for far too long. That is just a comment I am making in response to what the Minister said.

To go back to the remarks the Minister made about the small business sector, it is fair to say that there was €12 billion for SME supports. The Minister mentioned that figure. Much of what the Government has said recently is about big economic matters and big figures. We should consider what we learn if we drill down into the figures and listen to high-street traders, for example. I have spoken to high-street traders in Kilkenny city and to members of County Carlow Chamber. It is in my constituency, and that is what informs me. My background is business. Although the money exists for SMEs, I have been told by high-street traders, particularly those in the retail, clothing and footwear sector, that they are carrying stock worth from €250,000 to €500,000, depending on the size of the shop. To carry that much stock, a shop does not need to be huge. The retailers have had to warehouse all their winter stock and pay for the warehousing where they would not normally have had to do so. They have also had to accept the summer stock because they are contracted to do so. The suppliers will not back off from that contract and the payment is made up front.

The Government has reacted to the pandemic and it has had its positive outcomes, no doubt, but the retail sector will find it extremely difficult to get back up on its feet. I have appealed to the Tánaiste to examine this matter.

Similarly, small to large builders, from the Construction Industry Federation, CIF, to the small builder in a local parish, have been locked down. They will find it difficult, I have been told by them, to reopen. The same is true of suppliers to the trade, such as those who might supply much of the electrical equipment. I spoke to one such supplier earlier and he told me that the anger within his trade has gone beyond being able to be registered. The public is beginning to lose faith in the reopening process.

In the context of the reopening of the retail and hospitality sector, including bog-standard pubs, will the Government provide substantial supports at this stage when businesses are preparing for the reopening, having been closed for an extended period? I apologise for going on with my commentary, because I am interested in the Minister's reply. In the banking division, €300,000 was allocated for various consultancy projects, although I understand that the Department is getting some of that back from the banks. From talking to people at the coalface, there is not a politician in the country who could not talk about the bad experience that high street traders are experiencing, including our pub and hospitality sector. Will the Government extend the benefits that exist? Will it examine the new types of benefits and supports that will be needed in the context of financing and refinancing? Will it assist those who have had to carry stock, as I outlined? I am obliged to bring these cases to the Minister because they exist in every part of the country.