Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

This is my first time speaking in the Dáil. I take the opportunity to thank the voters of Wicklow for supporting me and for trusting me to be their representative in Dáil Éireann. I will endeavour to uphold their trust. I look forward to working with Members across this House towards a fair, equitable and sustainable future for all throughout our country.

None of us could have imagined the scale and gravity of the challenges that would face us within weeks of being elected. The Covid-19 global health crisis has created a huge threat to our country's health, jobs, communities and economy. We have worked together quickly and collegially to put measures in place to protect and maintain the fabric of our society through these difficult times. We have all witnessed the heroic efforts of our front-line workers in healthcare and the emergency services and of community volunteers, retail staff and the staff of our public service and Civil Service. These efforts and the community response to social distancing, cocooning and other restrictions have helped to manage this emergency. For these actions we owe a collective debt of gratitude.

As we emerge from this pandemic, bowed but not broken, we will seek to repair the damage that has been done both financially and societally, yet we must still address the existing crises. These are the crises in climate change, housing, health and other areas. While we seek to rebuild our fractured society with a sense of urgency, we must not overlook the opportunity to forge a new social contract built on principles of equity and sustainability.

Climate change is a slower and longer-term threat to our health, communities, economy and planet. The global impact of this virus and the united responses required to battle it have demonstrated how we can react and work together to defeat a common threat. The battle to reduce our climate-changing emissions, environmental degradation and biodiversity loss requires that same level of thinking, commitment and action. We can no longer abdicate our responsibility to deal with this global challenge head-on. The State must take a leadership role in addressing climate change. The decarbonisation of our economy, meeting our carbon reduction targets and uniting behind the science must be at the core of all future Government policies and objectives to ensure our health and an equitable society.

I wish to return to more immediate matters and to ask the Minister a number of questions regarding finance, business and social protection. Will the Minister consider creating and financing an arbitration process for commercial tenants and landlords? As he will know, many will face cash flow and liquidity issues as businesses are closed by Covid-19. Many of these businesses are unable to meet rent demands at this time. An arbitration process would benefit both parties and create the breathing space for businesses to return to work and deal with outstanding rent costs in a manageable way.

Will the Minister examine the implementation of a six-month commercial rates write-off for businesses that are adversely affected by this emergency and make up that shortfall for our local authorities? As businesses re-emerge, they will be faced with many challenges. Many will be unable to pay three months of deferred rates bills. This will have an impact on our local authorities' finances and their ability to fund vital public services. In general, the inadequate funding of local authorities is a matter to which we must return at another time but, in the short term, any loss of rates will adversely affect their functioning.

With regard to the re-opening of businesses, which must be done in a manner which complies with best health and scientific advice, have specific plans been made to assist those enterprises with social distancing and other workplace modifications that may be required over a longer period?

Will the Government increase the value of the business continuity voucher and expand its remit to include the implementation of physical distancing or other structural measures that may be required to allow trading to recommence?

What measures can be put in place to assist the arts, festivals, musicians and the film sector, given that artists and workers with casual contracts or who are dependent on the seasonal nature of such work will have little or no employment this year? Are they eligible for pandemic unemployment benefit if contracts for upcoming or seasonally recurring work have been cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions?

The Minister will no doubt be aware of the circumstances at Debenhams, where the company has served formal notice of redundancy to its Irish workforce, totalling approximately 2,000 people. Normally, this would start a 30-day process within which negotiations between the employer and the union take place before a liquidator is appointed. Due to Covid-19, however, it is virtually impossible for negotiations to take place. Will the Minister investigate whether the 30-day statutory period can be extended? This would allow for a longer period over which negotiations could take place and increase the possibility that workers could achieve a redundancy agreement beyond the statutory minimum payment.

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