Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising those issues. To be clear, I announced two weeks ago €1 billion worth of liquidity and grant supports for businesses. There is a long list of various supports available. We are considering another package of supports, which we will announce in due course. I am working with the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, on that.

After the initial shock, some €4 billion in supports were provided through the wage subsidy scheme and the pandemic unemployment payment. That money is already available, and we must now consider how to reboot companies and get them back up and running. At the end of the day, that is what we all want. We want to get businesses back and people employed and to return to full production as quickly as possible. It will not just be as easy as switching on a light, though. We will have to work with companies and they will have to try to ramp up their production. At least those that have joined the wage subsidy scheme will have that connection with their workers.

We are engaging with the Minister of State with responsibility for the Gaeltacht, Senator Kyne, and are looking at the issues for mná tí and the communities affected. All of the supports that are available to other companies, across the board, are also available to companies in Gaeltacht areas.

Approximately 100 Enterprise Ireland companies are producing personal protective equipment, PPE, and other products to cope with Covid-19. Only yesterday, I visited Combilift in my own county. It has developed a splitter machine which means that one ventilator can serve up to six patients and each can be dealt with individually. That is innovation. Combilift has written the programmes and has been working with the HSE over the past four weeks. It started with Combilift wanting to see how it could help and has now developed into a good prototype that has been tested, working with the HSE. We have enough ventilators in this country but there are developing countries that probably do not have the funding to buy all the ventilators they might need. This innovation means that one ventilator can deal with six patients, each individually. Enterprise Ireland is supporting companies right across the country in how they can make changes.

I had also better mention Old Carrick Mill in Monaghan which is now making hand sanitiser.

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