Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

At the outset, we were assured in this Covid crisis that all evictions and people being made homeless would be stopped. Unfortunately, at the instructions of Ms Justice Reynolds, yesterday morning at cockcrow a force of 20 gardaí evicted four different people from a house in Clontarf and brought them before the courts, and rendered them homeless at the behest of vulture funds. This is going on all the time at pace, in spite of commitments that it would not go on. I want the Minister of State to investigate it and have the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, investigate it as well.

I have to give credit to our local authorities and their staff and the services, along with the local media and local radio, and of course, An Garda Síochána and all the community groups which have worked so hard and rose to the challenge, as they always would do.

One issue I have is the anomaly with the local authority restart grant for those who are not operating out of rated commercial premises. I refer to people who operate their businesses from their van such as the construction workers or owner-operated lorries delivering concrete or blocks. There are many such businesses, including a plethora of taxi drivers and mini-bus drivers for school runs and everything else. They cannot get a bob because they are not rateable. They are parked outside the house. Theirs is a mobile and uncertain business and they were significantly affected in the previous economic crisis.

On a local authority level, some of the questions have been raised by other Deputies. How does the Department envisage supporting local authorities to continue with their full services, despite the large amount in respect of the rates holiday? They will not be able to collect the rates from businesses, which will not be able to pay them this year if we do not change soon, cop ourselves on and facilitate the small businesses, which are the backbone of rural Ireland.

We can get the Tescos, Aldis and all the rest open but the small man behind the counter who is employing two or three, supporting every community issue and providing all the spot prizes is not allowed to do anything. The ridiculous 2 m rule is an issue. I see the Cabinet was overruled again today by Dr. Holohan. Who is in charge here? I am aware the Minister of State, Deputy Phelan, is not in the Cabinet but, by goodness, it is strange that one man can dictate to seven or eight members of the Cabinet and the whole country. It is time this nonsense were stopped and that the people were supported.

The local enterprise offices have been brilliant and very helpful during the lockdown, having had a number of progressive and engaging schemes since the start. From my engagement with the staff in the offices, I am aware that schemes have been totally oversubscribed. We see that. An example is the business continuity grant. Will the Department consider extending the funding for the schemes? The offices are doing great work and there is no point in having the schemes oversubscribed. They were announced in a fanfare and now people are going to be disappointed. The local enterprise offices are vital.

On the LEADER companies, we must get LEADER back to where it belonged - of the people, by the people and for the people. There was a smash and grab by the local authorities and Big Phil, the Minister of State's former colleague, destroyed what was recognised throughout Europe as a model to be worked on.

I fear for the future of schemes such as the town and village renewal scheme. The schemes have proven to be beneficial in our communities. I am referring to where groups have been awarded funding but have not had the opportunity to date to work due to the lockdown. They fear they might not be able to get the work completed, given the tender process and everything else. I met the secretary of a Muintir na Tíre group this morning in my village, Newcastle. I salute the community there. The secretary was out for the first time in ages. She was cocooning and looking after her husband, and rightly so. She is worried and wondering whether the work will get done, whether the money will be pulled or whether the grant will be honoured. God help us, I do not know where we are going to go next year.

The local improvement scheme is great. We have funding in Tipperary this year. It is not have enough but the scheme is wonderful. It was wiped off after the most recent economic recession. Will it be an easy target again? The rural people are entitled to have these schemes.

Why has the Department not announced the community involvement scheme funding? It is overdue. It is the end of May but the rural works would normally start before St Patrick's Day. Why has the funding not yet been announced to councils?

Mar fhocal scoir, I would appreciate it if the Minister of State wrote back to me with replies. Small businesses, including hairdressers, are ready. I saw the job Willie Walsh in Clonmel has done to get ready. The businesses have to be allowed to operate. They are the backbone of the economy. They bring people into the town and these people go to the coffee shop and elsewhere. The black market is thriving. There must be common sense here. The 2 m rule is ridiculous. As far as getting a pint in a small pub is concerned, I do not know when we will have one. I wish we had one before. Small pubs cannot operate according to the 2 m rule. It is patent nonsense.

We all talk about and give out about Hungary and have said here that powers were grabbed there. The Minister of State's leader and the Fianna Fáil leader attacked Mr. Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian Prime Minister. The Hungarians kept the number of deaths down to 500, although it has many borders. The Republic of Ireland is almost an island; we share one border, with Northern Ireland. Bearing in mind our ineptitude over the sealing of the ports, we should note that Hungary is back up and running and has opened its borders. Hungary had 500 deaths, although it has a population two and a half times greater than ours. We had 1,600 deaths and this number is growing. I said earlier this evening there has been a scam, a scamdemic, over this pandemic. We need answers.

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