Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I will get straight into my questions. I have five questions and if there is time at the end after the answers you might come back to me again, a Cheann Comhairle.

What is the process for reassessment of social welfare rates in one-parent families in scenarios where one parent has stopped paying maintenance? I am asking the question given that the family courts are not hearing maintenance cases during the pandemic.

Will the Department launch a public awareness campaign informing the public of the changes which have been made to the rent supplement scheme? Many people remain unsure as to their eligibility for the scheme. Will the Minister consider raising the rent supplement to stop people falling further into debt?

I want to revisit the closure of Debenhams and give the Minister a greater opportunity to respond to that issue. Will he comment on the decision to put the company into voluntary liquidation? This decision has been viewed as a cynical and opportunistic decision affecting almost 2,000 employees of the firm throughout Ireland. Many of them, particularly in my area in central Dublin who contacted me, were with the firm when it was Roches Stores. There was a call yesterday from the workers' trade union, Mandate, for the Government to intervene and suspend the liquidation process. Today, a liquidator was announced with some degree of haste. It is unfair that during this crisis that the 2,000 Debenhams workers in the 11 stores across Ireland do not have access to the appropriate industrial relations mechanisms. The State must intervene. This process simply cannot be allowed to continue.

Will the Minister include all workers of working age in the Covid-19 payment who have been laid off from their employment? The issue of the over-66s has been raised to some degree in the Chamber today. I also want to highlight 16 and 17-year olds who are not included in the pandemic payment. Many of them were contributing to their families. The fact they were earning money meant their parents, often from low-income backgrounds, did not have to. It has created a burden on families and a degree of unfairness in the system.

Will the Minister consider developing an opt-out scheme for those in receipt of fortnightly social welfare payments? For many, these payments are really welcome. However, some people have been in touch with me who simply cannot manage the excess cost of dealing with larger shopping trips and digital costs. This in turn is putting them into debt. If we can have an opt-out scheme, it might alleviate some of the burdens placed upon them.

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