Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I thank the many gardaí, male and female, throughout this country who uphold law and order and carry out their duties, largely unarmed, in dangerous situations where they come across villains, thugs, drug lords and others involved in serious crime. I thank them for all that they do locally to help the elderly and people living alone and, in particular, for apprehending the villains that attack and rob those individuals in their homes. I sincerely thank each and every garda for his or her efforts in that regard. I also thank gardaí for their work to help control the virus. They are to be commended for their response to the call to control the virus.

I was not here when the session commenced but I heard the Minister mention inspections of direct provision centres and state that many of them are unsuitable. I have always maintained that Cahersiveen direct provision centre is not suitable. It was pointed out to me that the rooms, hallways and communal spaces are too small to accommodate the refugees located there, some of whom contracted the virus.

This morning, the Taoiseach spoke about reducing the €350 payment for part-time workers. I am calling on the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, as a member of the Government, to ensure that this does not happen. I am of the view that what is proposed is a calculated attack on hotel workers, particularly those on the X's and O's who work two, three and four days per week. These are not people who worked part-time by choice; they are the people who helped to keep hotels open and ticking over in the winter months and at quiet times. There should be no cut in the payment for workers to whom I refer. As already stated, they were working to keep the hotels open. I ask the Minister to ensure this is taken into account when the matter is again being discussed at Cabinet. These people want to work.

Restaurants and cafés will reopen on 29 June. I am calling on the Government to allow hotels, pubs and the tourism sector to open on that date as well. Spain and Italy are opening up again. The crisis was far worse in those countries than it was here. We need to get this country moving again and open it up to the people.

We must ensure all the people in Ireland, at least those in the Twenty-six Counties and even those in the Thirty-two Counties, can go to the local attractions in places like Killarney, Dingle, Cahersiveen, Kenmare, Ballybunion and Ballyheigue, as well as places in other counties. We must ensure people who are cooped up in apartments in cities and urban places get the chance to go down the country and have some bit of a summer for four or five weeks. We must give the people who own these pubs and hotels the chance to open their doors, have faith in the ventures they have worked so hard to put together, and give them a bit of chance to have some bit of a summer, because if we wait until 10 August we can forget about it. The chance will be gone by then because that is only a week before the children go back to school. I am asking the Ministers to get together, open up the country and let the people get back working.

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