Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister mentioned restaurants opening up again. Where is the recovery plan? When will we have a recovery plan? What are the benchmarks? I understood when the lockdown happened that we would speak about a recovery when the transmission rate went below one. We have been told today that it has gone below one but there is no concrete talk of either a recovery plan or a date when we might start to talk about opening up again. It is important that some certainty be brought to bear on this. Neither the Minister nor I are doctors but my understanding is that when an emergency plan is being prepared a recovery plan is put in place beside it. We know what the emergency plan is. Where is the recovery plan?

I return to an issue I have raised twice with the Minister in the House and also privately, that is, seasonal workers, particularly in the tourism industry, who because they were not working on 29 February are not entitled to the payment. Likewise, employers cannot avail of the payment if they take them on now because they were not in employment on 29 February. A date last year in the middle of the tourism season might be considered, especially for tourism, if we are to have a tourism industry in Ireland.

I will ask two questions on behalf of Deputy Harkin, the first of which is regarding the microfinance rates. They have dropped from 8% to 4%, which is welcome, but in The Netherlands the interest rate is 2%. Why was our rate at one stage four times that of The Netherlands and why is it now twice that of The Netherlands? Second, will the Government look at small grants to SMEs? I know there is forbearance on loans etc. but nevertheless debts are clocking up and there will be a number of businesses, and in particular small businesses, that will not reopen unless there is some degree of either debt forgiveness or grants from the Government.

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