Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for the report. As regards the PUP, members are aware that people are getting the payment based on what they earned before the restrictions came in. Now we can see there is an argument for tapering the PUP. If a person who is currently on €250 or €300 works in the restaurant or broader hospitality sector and is brought back for outdoor service but on fewer hours, such as for ten hours per week, and will only get €100, that person would be down by €100 or €150. There is an argument for tapering the PUP to cater for those workers so that they do not find themselves on probably half what they received on the PUP, which was calculated on the basis of their previous wages. I would like to hear the Minister's thoughts on that issue. Is she considering it?

Many of the questions I intended to ask have been covered and I will not repeat them. I refer to workers who were on the temporary Covid-19 wage support scheme, TWSS, payment from March to September last year. All present know why the scheme was brought in and I am not in any way arguing that it was a negative payment. It kept workers employed and it assisted employers whose turnover was down by 25% or more. However, I refer to the workers who worked right through the pandemic, such as pharmacy employees and many thousands of other workers.

They found they had to pay tax on the TWSS payment. The workers see that as a cut in their wages because the basis of the payment, as arranged by the Government and the Revenue Commissioners, was that the employer would not have to return the PRSI or tax payment, such that the worker would get paid his or her net pay. Owing to that, workers found themselves paying tax on their net pay. Essentially, it was a cut in the wages of the workers and they are very aggrieved by it. This matter has not been given the airing it should have been given from the point of view of the workers. What is the Minister's opinion on that? Should the workers be in this situation?

Is the Minister considering introducing paid miscarriage leave at any point?