Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I support the call for the fuel allowance to be increased beyond the anticipated date of 18 April, even after the immediate stage of the crisis has passed. A lot of elderly people will continue to self-isolate for longer than the rest of the community and they need to be supported.

Like many other constituencies, tourism is an important aspect of the economy in Clare. I received an email which I wish to bring to the attention of the Minister of State. I have received many calls from seasonal employees and their employers and this email is from an employer. It states:

We were due to take on most of our staff for the season this week and next week. We will not be able to do so now before May, if not June, such are the current conditions. Social welfare is refusing to give our seasonal staff the increased payment as they were not employed on February 29th. I was going to take the staff on directly and pay them through the Government scheme for the next two months. This is also being disallowed on the basis that the staff were not in employment on February 29th. Young students who only worked for six hours a week are getting paid the €350 but regular seasonal workers are being refused.

That seems, to this particular employer, to be unfair. It also seems unfair to me and I ask the Government to look at this because seasonal employment is an essential facet of tourism, which is an important sector.

I would also like to focus on agriculture and in particular the BEAM scheme. It was an exceptional measures scheme introduced by the Government in 2019, one of the conditions of which is a reduction in stocking numbers in the time period from 1 July 2020, which is quickly approaching, to 30 June 2021. Given that marts have closed farmers will not be able to sell cattle. I suggest that the time period specified in the scheme for stock reduction be extended to next year because of issues of force majeure. I have looked at the Commission implementing regulation and my proposal does not seem to be precluded by that. I ask the Government to look into that, as well as how the self-employment measures could be utilised by farmers, in particular beef farmers, who are unable to sell produce and raise money but are still working on their farms. This is creating a difficulty.

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