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

I thank the Social Democrats for giving us the opportunity to talk about workers. I thank all of the front-line workers who went to work at the height of the pandemic in hospitals and nursing homes. I commend all of those who went to work, including nurses, doctors, staff in canteens who bought food to patients, home helps who visited houses and tried to keep older people going, shop workers who held the fort while working behind counters to ensure people could get food and supplies and all of those who worked in the emergency services.

However, some people have been left behind by the pandemic unemployment payment. If lockdown had not started for another week or two, some seasonal workers would have been paid by their employers and would have received the pandemic unemployment payment. Many of these workers are still not back at work and their stamps are nearly gone. The Minister of State was part of the Administration that introduced the payment. I ask him to deal with this matter.

Many people over 66 years of age are working and have created employment. All we are asking is that their payments be increased from the current old age pension payment to €350 per week because they have bills to pay due to the employment they are in and the employment they created. Sadly, they were left behind. All of the tour buses in Kerry are lying idle and the drivers did not receive the payment.

There is an anomaly in the wage subsidy scheme that has to be addressed. It only applies to firms with employees who worked in January and February. Those who were not working are not entitled to the subsidy. Those who employed people for perhaps 20 hours a week during quiet periods cannot get any more money for them now.

The Minister of State, Deputy Robert Troy, said it is the duty of the Government to get people back to work. A great opportunity was missed today when publicans in rural Ireland were denied the right to bring back their workers and open their doors. I ask the Minister of State, Deputy English, to tell me what those publicans did wrong. Did they add to the pandemic or virus? They did not, because their doors have been shut for 17 or 18 weeks. It is as though they are being blamed for the virus. They played no role in creating or expanding the virus. Certain things that may have happened in Dublin, where over two thirds of the pubs are open, did not happen in rural Ireland. Publicans, workers and those who would like to go to a pub and enjoy a pint or two, but cannot do so without travelling 15 or 16 miles to the nearest large town, are being discriminated against.

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