Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

It is right and proper that we should direct huge and necessary resources to protect the jobs and incomes of ordinary workers, small businesses and struggling businesses that are impacted by the economic fallout of Covid-19. Does the Minister agree it would be completely unacceptable for companies that are hugely profitable and paying large dividends to shareholders or, for example, that are registered offshore for tax purposes, to gain significant benefits? I am aware of one company, which I will not name, but which has 1,000 employees. Despite getting the wage subsidy scheme payments, it paid €25 million in dividends to its shareholders, and it is also availing of wage subsidies in the UK. In the meantime, it has slashed its contributions to the pension scheme for its own employees. That is not acceptable. Boston Scientific, another well-known company with €1 billion in profits last year, is availing of the wage subsidy scheme although it pays very little tax as it is. Perhaps the Minister can inform us how many offshore companies operating here are availing of the wage subsidy scheme or any other grants or supports from the State. I hope we will get answers on that, if not today, then subsequently, or in writing.

In contrast to that, and while those companies may be undeserving, the Minister talks about tapering off income supports for others who really need them. I urge him not to do that, particularly for sectors where adherence to public health guidelines and the fallout of the public health emergency mean there will be no return to normal or to viability for the foreseeable future. I ask the Minister to engage directly with workers and representatives from those sectors to discuss their future and viability. In particular, I want to ask about the arts, live entertainment, music and so on, which are facing a very bleak future, if any future, in the short term. Taxi drivers are linked to things like the arts, live entertainment, tourism and so on, which means their future is deeply precarious. I ask the Minister to meet those groups, and perhaps others, and to engage with them urgently to discuss how we can secure a future for these workers, who are very important for us, but whose future is very bleak. The English and foreign language education sector might be another we need to consider.

I appeal to the Minister on behalf of people who were on maternity leave and who are returning to work. They should be given the wage subsidy scheme payment. It is complete discrimination against people who were, in effect, working but on maternity leave to be denied that payment.

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