Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

This is my first contribution and I thank the people of Dublin-Fingal for placing their faith in me as one of their five representatives in the Dáil. It is an honour beyond words, and I will do my utmost to repay the faith they have placed in me. Since polling day more than seven weeks ago, the clutch of new Deputies, or even the more experience Deputies, could not have imagined what we are facing now. We are living in a world that is more frightening, more insecure and far more uncertain. We have much work to do to beat back this virus in Ireland and across the world, but I believe we will do it.

We will also, however, have to be mindful that we will be facing the implications of the affects of Covid-19 for many months, and perhaps even years, to come. I refer to economically, socially, politically and beyond. We must be mindful of this when making decisions even in the white heat of the crisis we are experiencing. Now is not a time to panic, however. We have actions to take and we will take them. I commend the leadership being shown up and down the country. Leadership has been also shown from all sides of this House and that has to be commended. That has been strong and consistent and that must continue. Leadership has been also shown by the HSE and the public and civil service, and that also has to be commended. That will also have to continue. All of that pales, however, compared to the leadership shown by ordinary people around the country. I refer to sports clubs, community groups, heads of households and even administrators on community Facebook groups and community WhatsApp groups. They have been on the front line of a battle against fake news and fake reporting.

They have done great work in trying to keep good information flowing to keep people safe and healthy. Front-line workers, support workers, healthcare assistants, porters and cleaners in our health service have been making an unbelievable collective effort. Our retail workers have shown bravery and courage and every day they are there to serve the needs of the community and to make sure we are fed. The panic and worry we had about purchasing behaviours earlier on in this crisis has dissipated as we meet our new reality.

Today's emergency legislation is another important step in fighting this crisis. The measures put forward today will have profound political implications as I have mentioned but I am encouraged by what the Taoiseach said about early childcare and illness benefit. It is a cautious optimism but the measures we take now may not be repealed in 12 weeks or six months if we believe they are for the greater good of the country.

The Covid-19 emergency is a crisis on multiple fronts. It is not just a health crisis but it is a crisis that reaches across the whole of society and of the economy. Like everyone in this House, we in the Labour Party have tremendous respect for all our front-line and support healthcare workers, who are providing care in our hospitals and GP clinics. When we think of the GPs, we must also think of the GP receptionists and when we think of the frontline nurses and doctors, we must also think of the receptionists, porters and cleaners. We acknowledge what the Government and the HSE have done to ramp up testing and to challenge people to change their day-to-day behaviour. It is not an easy task but the Irish people have responded well. Looking at what is happening in other countries around the world, the Irish people have been well served by the way in which political parties have co-operated to support the official response to this crisis.

The crisis does not stop with the health system, however. I am concerned that when it comes to the economy, it will be harder to maintain the same level of political consensus, given how divisive issues such as housing have been in recent years. The Government's response to the overall economic crisis will be as important as its ability to deal with the different dimensions of the health emergency. For example, like much of the economy, our frontline health services rely on just-in-time supply lines and global markets to provide them with the medical equipment they need. This global system has come under enormous strain. Our health service has done a credible job to date in securing personal protective equipment for our frontline workers but there are real concerns remaining. We are hearing reports of frontline nursing staff having to wash PPE in sinks and baths for reuse. I am sure we all agree this is intolerable. We all pray that this plane arrives with enough equipment and we all hope more efforts can be made to source equipment from within the boundaries of the State and to funnel same to the people who need it as soon as possible in order to keep people alive.

It has also been reported that student nurses, who are serving on the front lines assisting Covid-19 patients, are not yet being paid. We need to tackle that issue urgently. Can the Government confirm what is happening and when will the Government guarantee decent rates of pay for all staff across all levels of the health service who are tackling this emergency?

On another front, we do not yet have up-to-date figures for unemployed people on the live register but we know that hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs or been temporarily laid off due to the Covid-19 emergency. We must ensure people are protected and that the most vulnerable workers do not suffer unfairly due to this epidemic.

In principle, Labour welcomes the measures being introduced in this Bill. We welcome the rent freeze and the ban on evictions introduced in Part 2 of the Bill but issues of major concern remain. First, a great many workers in the retail and hospitality sectors are renters and even with the Covid-19 unemployment payment, many of them will have a reduced ability to pay rent alongside their normal living costs. If this crisis lasts three to six months, we will have a generation of low-paid workers who will end up in debt due to rent arrears or other payment arrears. This cannot happen. Second, some tenants may face eviction once the crisis ends and once we return to some form of normality in the housing affordability crisis. This also cannot happen. What plans does the Government have to ensure this does not happen? We need to know the answer to this question. In particular, where landlords benefit from a mortgage holiday for a period of months, will the Government ensure rent will be waived for tenants during this same period? This must happen.

While the housing crisis requires homes to be built, we have concerns about some working environments, such as building sites, remaining open in the context where social distancing may not always be possible or practised on building sites. I have experience of working on small building sites and when I was thinking yesterday and overnight about the work I did, I reflected that it is impossible to keep any kind of social or physical distance if one is labouring for a carpenter, a bricklayer or an electrician.

There is no way around it and we need urgent action in this area. I spoke to workers yesterday in the construction industry who are concerned for their safety and the safety of their families. I have spoken to family members of workers in the construction industry who are concerned for their loved ones who may come home from work and bring Covid-19 with them. This needs urgent attention.

Another serious problem caused by the Covid-19 emergency is that our courts are not sitting due to the need for social distancing. Delays and a future backlog in processing cases could mean that the Statute of Limitations might rule out prosecutions that would have proceeded in the normal course of events. This is clearly not desirable and the amendment we will bring this evening will provide some sort of solution. We hope it will get support throughout the House. There are many other issues we will bring up during the course of the day as the opportunity arises.

I will conclude by commenting on some of the measures announced earlier this week relating to social gatherings. They were the right measures but they have a cost, in particular in respect of funerals. Funerals are still allowed to proceed but under strict new guidelines. Again, this is understandable. Faced with a global pandemic, which is claiming thousands of lives worldwide and which has claimed 16 lives so far on our island, we have all had more than a passing thought about our mortality and the mortality of those close to us, our loved ones. People are passing away from Covid-19, as well as from the usual illnesses, including long-term illnesses, short-term illnesses and sudden deaths. Only close family members are able to mourn their passing and celebrate their lives. I have always thought we in Ireland have celebrated the lives of those who have passed better than almost anywhere else. Those of us who have celebrated the passing of someone close to us recently know the comfort it brings to those who are bereaved. In normal times we mourn as a community, as neighbours and as friends. We need to spare a thought for all those enduring loss at this time, whether through Covid-19 or any other reason. They are doing so at a time when the nation's attention is focused on this battle. Many of us are looking forward to when restaurants and bars open again and when we can bring our children to see their grandparents. We can see that there is light at the end of the tunnel. However, we only get one opportunity to say goodbye to a loved one. The loneliness that such people must be feeling at this time must be especially acute. We must ensure that the sacrifice thrust upon them for the reasons outlined is not forgotten. We must not forget them. When we are reaching out, we must make an extra special effort for these people. This is one of the many reasons we need to stick to the rules and redouble our efforts every day. We need to support all our healthcare and retail workers, as well as all those people who are out working for us at the moment. If we do so we will once again be able to celebrate all joy and tragedies together as we have done as a country, as friends, as neighbours, as a community and as a nation.

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