Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Bhí mé chun an t-am a roinnt idir mé féin agus an tAire ach níl a fhios agam an mbeidh an deis sin agam anois mar gheall ar an srian ama. There is a lot of concern in our coastal areas and our island communities about the severe economic impact Covid-19 will have over the summer months and the knock-on effect it will have both on internal and external tourism. As the Minister is aware, these regions rely heavily on tourism at this time of the year as a source of temporary employment as an economic boost to the hospitality industry in particular. In many cases, that is critical in sustaining communities throughout the remainder of the year but this crisis hits Gaeltacht communities twofold. Not only will there be a severe drop in tourist numbers but the coláistí samhraidh na Gaeltachta courses have also been rightly cancelled due to public health. However, we cannot seem to get a clear answer on the financial supports available to mna tí agus fir tí who will be losing a significant part of their annual income as a direct result of this announcement.

Tá réigiúin na Gaeltachta ar na ceantair thuaithe is mó atá buailte ag an dífhostaíocht agus buailfear iad i bhfad níos measa de bharr na cinntí seo, ós rud é gur beag na deiseanna eile fostaíochta a bhíonn ar fáil ann. Tá sé go hiomlán scannalach an chaoi a bhfuiltear ag caitheamh leis na ceantair Ghaeltachta le linn na paindéime seo. What support measures does the Minister plan to introduce for those people who rely on the income they receive over the summer period through temporary seasonal employment?

I was also contacted last week by an NUI Galway student from Clifden who told me that he did not know how he will be able to afford to go back to college next year, as seasonal employment provides him with an opportunity to work and save money at home each summer so that when he goes back to Galway, he can stay in digs and have some money to pay for meals, bus fares and books.

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