Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will be sharing time with Deputies MacSharry and Niall Collins.

Last night on "The Tonight Show", Professor Sam McConkey reaffirmed the importance of a strong economy to maintain a strong public health system. Covid-19 will not go away any time soon. We must examine how the economy can coexist while not compromising the health of our citizens.

The attempts by the Government to blame any further extension of the lockdown on non-compliance by the public are deeply unfair. The vast majority of the public understand their responsibilities. We must start to look at how we can reopen sectors where social distance already exists. It is deeply unfair that garden centres are being prevented from opening but Lidl and Aldi continue to sell similar products.

We need a road map to be published to give certainty. Some businesses will need time to make necessary changes. They need to know what financial supports will be in place for them to so do. Chambers Ireland stated this morning that one in four businesses will need to spend €8,000 to make the necessary modifications. Any road map must include a task force populated by expert membership which can advise on a sector-by-sector basis. Every further week that the Government fails to act will lead to further subsidies in the long run and make it much more difficult for businesses to survive.

The Government announcements to date are inadequate in terms of their size and structure. Some 95% of Government supports are based on businesses taking on more debt and the uptake of them to date has been very slow. The figures referred to by the Minister are very low when compared with the number of people availing of the temporary wage subsidy. The Government is telling businesses which have seen their turnover radically reduced or even eliminated to take on further debt at 4.5% but it is currently borrowing at less than 0.25%. It is trying to make a margin of 4.25% on the back of struggling businesses. The Government must look at how other European countries are availing of relaxed State aid rules to ensure they inject liquidity directly into sustainable businesses.

On business interruption insurance policies, at a briefing I attended in the Minister's Department, she indicated she would be meeting the CEOs of insurance companies. Has that happened? If so, what was their response? What actions are she and the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, taking to ensure that legitimate policyholders who have business interruption insurance covering infectious diseases will receive a payout? A hairdresser recently outlined on a radio programme that there is no clear path for how she will reopen her business or to show how she can conduct her business while maintaining social distancing requirements. In spite of that, her insurance company expects her to continue to pay public liability insurance.

I refer to a trade credit scheme. A major impediment to the resumption of normal trade is that suppliers will be reluctant to offer credit in the current circumstances. A Government-backed trade credit system will be needed to ensure there is confidence in the system. France and Germany have applied to the European Commission to ensure they can provide a Government-backed trade credit scheme. What are the Government's intentions in that regard?

On commercial leases, large institutional investors are putting the squeeze on businesses. What action will the Government take to ensure that ceases?

When will we have a clear road map and a task force? When will the Government review the penal conditions attached to the liquidity supports available from the Minister's Department? Will there be grants and interest-free loans? I ask the Minister to address her meeting with the CEOs of insurance companies. Will she commit to exploring the introduction of a Government-backed trade credit scheme?

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