Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this debate. I am of the view that we should just be following the normal format for oral questions because not having the responses to other questions is problematic.

In the first instance, health must be the reference point. The return to a safe working environment whereby there will not be an resurgence of the virus is what we all aspire to. Over a number of weeks, the Social Democrats have sought the establishment of an expert task force. What we do from here needs to be done sector by sector and a sequence needs to be laid out in the context of which industries should return and in what order. Some details in that regard may be announced in the context of the roadmap, either tomorrow or the day after. We have all been contacted by business people. They often state that they cannot take on further loans because they do not have any income. It does not matter if the interest rate that applies is 0%, 5% or 10% if these people do not have the money to pay back such loans. Obviously, the interest rate matters but there is still an issue. If we look at the cost of creating jobs for IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, we know about the tax forgone and the social welfare rates. There is a cost-benefit analysis when retaining jobs. That is critically important.

I have looked at points made about timelines for reopening. Chambers Ireland referred to most businesses needing two weeks. That lead-in period has to be taken into consideration and people have to be given notice so that they can use the time well. Depending on the sectors in which they operate, there will be an outlay for most businesses as a result of physical distancing and other measures. There should be some grant funding for that. I can foresee a situation where we will have a row in months to come about VAT. That is distinctive.

I will skip over a number of matters and hopefully leave the Minister time to reply. I want to refer to the Health and Safety Authority. A number of people have contacted me about something which is open but which should not be open. When one looks for the enforcement mechanism, one discovers that there is no such mechanism. One is told to ring the Garda. Will the Minister address what will change in the context of the Health and Safety Authority and enforcement as it applies to non-compliant businesses? There will be such businesses.

What scaling up will there be and will additional legislation be needed for enforcement? We all know, for example, the construction sector is varied in terms of compliance. Many building workers are located in Northern Ireland and routinely come up and down. That is something that must be specifically considered. Workers do not come exclusively from Northern Ireland but also come from other parts of the UK and Europe. That has to be considered in the context of the return of the construction sector with regard to ports, airports and the movement of employees.

I will skip through these points quickly. I asked a question regarding the hairdressing sector and I got a response. That sector includes many other areas such as beauticians, nail bars, probably play centres and many other areas. The Minister directed me towards the National Standards Authority of Ireland, NSAI, document. It is a very good document but is too general. It is not specific to some areas and work will need to be done with particular sectors because they are not all the same. I ask the Minister to address that issue. I got a response from the Minister regarding Retail Excellence Ireland, REI. I ask her to address the issue regarding the rent freeze on the commercial side. There is a real problem in that area, with people being asked for rent quarterly in advance. I am hearing from some people of being under threat where there is not a direct relationship with the landlord but where they are renting in a building from a pension fund, a vulture fund or some landlord more anonymous than an individual. I will leave time for the Minister to answer those questions.

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