Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will share time with Deputy McNamara. I have submitted a number of questions, of which I will ask two now, and perhaps the Minister will answer the others separately.

Seasonal workers in the tourism industry in County Donegal and elsewhere include employees and self-employed people who were not working on 13 March, which is the reference date for the pandemic payment. They are suffering a loss of income because there is no tourism. What measures can they avail of? Can they avail of the pandemic payment?

In recent weeks, I have spoken to a number of employers who have some cash on hand and are afraid to engage with the payments because they are afraid the Revenue Commissioners would insist that they run down the cash before they could avail of the payments. I do not believe this is the case but I ask the Minister to put it on the record. It is a good and positive scheme that can help an awful lot of workers but it seems employers have a fear of the Revenue Commissioners and do not want them to know what they might have available, which I think is crazy. It is a real fear that they have.

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