John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As we discuss the Revised Estimates this afternoon, we might as well be standing here blindfolded in what should be a debate to give clarity to the 1.2 million workers currently in receipt of State payments as a result of Covid-19. There is no clarity whatsoever about the PUP or the wage subsidy scheme. I believe a decision has already been taken by the caretaker Minister and the caretaker Government to cut the €350 payment. We have not heard anything in the Minister's comments to deny that. She said it will be extended but she has not said it will not be cut. Her decision should have been made public before the presentation of these Revised Estimates in order that it could have been debated here today, rather than leaving that uncertainty hanging over the heads of the 1.2 million workers relying on the State supports.

Over the last number of weeks, as has been mentioned already, there have been concerted attempts to demonise recipients of the PUP, as if they have done something wrong. Over last weekend, indeed, a Fianna Fáil Deputy seemed to give credence to the reports that have been carried out by the Department. That Deputy who, like all Deputies, is on a salary of over €96,000 said that the PUP of €350 should be cut sooner rather than later. She went on to say that many people are a hell of a lot better off as a result of being on the payment. There has been an attempt to portray people who are receiving State supports as spongers who are living lavish champagne and caviar lifestyles, which is unbelievable. The fact that the payment was set at €350 clearly shows that the caretaker Government does not believe that it was feasible in the first place to live on a jobseeker's payment of €203. The debate should now be focused on creating and introducing a living wage, not forcing workers into low-paid, precarious employment on which the captains of industry can capitalise, while cocooning in their ivory towers.

The economic think tank, the ESRI, has also called on the Government to maintain the €350 pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, and warned that moves to taper it prematurely would damage the economy further. The ESRI said that payments should be maintained and extended, even if that meant a much bigger State budget deficit this year.

From the outset, the Minister and her Department have said that the priority was to get people in receipt of money when they made a PUP. There are many people who, for different reasons, are owed serious amounts of arrears from the Department. One person I have been working with - I will call her Mary - has not received payment for the past eight weeks. Finally, on the 19th of this month, she received what she thought would be the arrears but only received €350. She was told that she would receive the payment at some point. I received a response from the Department yesterday stating that it will be a number of months before arrears are dealt with. That is unacceptable. That particular person has massive debt as a result of not receiving money over the past number of weeks. She is due more than €2,800 from the Department and priority should be given at this point. Rather than trying to take people off PUP the Department should deal with the arrears. Resources should be deployed in that area.

The measures introduced by the caretaker Government are fundamentally discriminatory, one of the most discriminatory being the decision to exclude those over the age of 66 from them. Yesterday, reports emerged that Fianna Fáil may renege on election commitments it gave that it would defer any increase in the State pension age to 67. If it forms a Government it may row back on that. That is despicable. We have had discriminatory practices. Our elderly people have been excluded from this and they should not be forced now to work longer to pay for Covid-19. Our elderly citizens will rally against that, and Sinn Féin will absolutely rally behind them if that is even attempted.

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