Dáil debates

Thursday, 2 April 2020

Social Protection (Covid-19): Statements

 

5:10 pm

Photo of Matt CarthyMatt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the staff in the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection and in Revenue who are dealing with the unprecedented influx of applications for new schemes in difficult circumstances, and all our public servants working at this time. Those who have had reasons to claim for these new schemes, whether it is workers applying for the pandemic unemployment payment or businesses accessing the wage subsidy scheme, are going through a traumatic time. As well as concern for the well being of their families, which we all share, they are also concerned about whether their jobs will return, about how long the crisis will last and whether they can withstand the financial cost of the restrictions. These people are livid that the banks thought this week was appropriate to deduct exorbitant fees from their customers' accounts. This House should be clear that these charges should be stopped and that the money deducted this week be returned.

Everyone understands that the Government cannot address all their concerns, but they expect that the Government will recognised the contribution they have made to our society and the role they will play in any economic recovery that follows. In that context, I raise a cohort of workers who have been abandoned by the Government measures, namely those who work in this State, paying taxes and PRSI here, but who happen to live on the other side of the Border. That affects thousands of workers in my constituency. Almost every business in County Monaghan has two sets of workers, one able to draw down the pandemic unemployment supports and those living a few miles away who cannot. EU rules state that cross-border workers who are made partially or intermittently unemployed should be entitled to this support in their State of employment. Anyone who has lost his or her job as a result of the pandemic falls under that category. This is an emergency.

Exceptional measures are required and, therefore, I ask the Minister whether he will commit to reviewing that proviso to ensure that all workers who have contributed to this State's finances and who will be pivotal to the economic recovery we hope will follow, particularly in the Border region, are supported during this time.

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