Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 18 November 2020

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach

Finance Bill 2020: Committee Stage (Resumed)

Photo of Paschal DonohoePaschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

We moved to the higher level of the EWSS when we moved back to level 5. I reject entirely the idea that this has not been thought through. This is a very effective scheme which has saved hundreds of thousands of jobs. As the economy opens up and public health guidance improves, it is absolutely necessary that we begin to reduce the level of subsidy available as otherwise we will end up with a scheme that is still running when the need for it has lessened. That would create huge affordability issues for the Minister for Finance of the day. We reduced the subsidy when the economy was opening and when, unfortunately, we had to close parts of the economy again, we increased the subsidy. That is good policy. Even in the current legal framework, I had the ability to increase the subsidy to this level before these amendments to the Finance Bill were tabled, let alone accepted, as I hope they will be. In making those points, I also acknowledge, in the interests of fairness, the support the Deputy has afforded to this scheme.