Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the presence of the Minister for Finance in the Chamber. I have a specific issue to bring to his attention and that is the mortgage freeze he agreed with the banking sector. It was a very welcome development. It has been brought to my attention, however, that Ulster Bank is implementing this in a different manner to the other mainstream banks. I have been informed by a constituent, who has a mortgage with Ulster Bank, that rather than putting the three-month freeze to the end of the mortgage, Ulster Bank is adding it on to the existing mortgage term. That means there is an increase in payments, because the principal and the interest have to be paid on top of the existing mortgage. We should not be putting additional financial pressure on families. There is an agreement to put the repayments to the end and extend the lifetime of the mortgage by three months. That should be implemented across the board.

There also needs to be clarity concerning the financial payments available through the Covid-19 illness benefit for those who must self-isolate because they are immunocompromised or because other people in their homes are immunocompromised. I understand there is some flexibility regarding the issuing of a doctor's certificate regarding an individual who is immunocompromised and that the Department will look sympathetically on that. People who are employees, however, and have someone in their home who is immunocompromised are left in a situation where they either take a drop in income or compromise the health of someone within their own home. There needs to be clarity on this issue, because one of the main focuses of this emergency legislation is to ensure people are not put in that specific dilemma. Yet, this is happening in homes where there are people who are immunocompromised and we need to have clarity in this regard.

Regarding measures being taken in social welfare to provide income support, they are all welcome but they do create several anomalies. One of those concerns widows and full-time carers who work part time and are over the age of 66.

They are not entitled to the €350 payment because they are over the age of 66. That age anomaly needs to be removed from the provisions of this Bill.

The other issue that needs to be addressed is the habitual residency condition within social welfare law. As the Minister knows, we have thousands of young people across the world who cannot get income supports in the country they are currently in. They are looking to come back home to Ireland and it is causing a huge problem for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. When they come home, they will not be eligible for a social welfare payment, other than a supplementary welfare payment because they will not be able to comply with the habitual residency condition. Some discretion needs to be brought into that condition.

I want to raise the issue of individuals who are exploiting the crisis. One group that has been highlighted by St. Vincent de Paul is moneylenders. Licensed moneylenders that can charge up to 187% interest rates are exploiting the situation. There is a responsibility on the Government to make people aware of the different supports and services that are available through the Money Advice and Budgeting Service and through their local credit unions. There is an opportunity to help to support local media outlets such as local radio stations and provincial newspapers by taking out public awareness advertising of the Money Advice and Budgeting Service and other support services that are out there for people. That would give people access to that information, which is timely and appropriate. It would also provide a vital income source to those regional and local media outlets that are struggling to keep their doors open. Those local media outlets, particularly for people who are cocooned in their homes, are a vital source of information. As the Minister knows, the restrictions that are in place may stay in place for a considerable period of time. We need to ensure those local sources of information are available to people.

See this speech in context