Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As noted at the European Council meeting, in addition to the €1.824 trillion approved by the EU, there is €5 billion in the Brexit reserve. It is earmarked for unforeseen consequences in the most affected member states and sectors. Surely this will be passed on to Ireland. I hope that this matter is being examined by our MEPs in addition to what is required to meet the Covid pandemic.

As I highlighted previously, it is essential that our pharmaceutical companies be consulted. They are fundamental in our fight against the coronavirus. The EU is prepared to fund the projects. It is essential that we in Ireland get our fair share of funding, but it is most essential that our MEPs fight for us in Europe. The farming sector, hoteliers, etc., want to get their businesses back up and running, but we cannot do that unless we have cheap funding. The ideal would be an interest rate of 0%, but even if Ireland got that rate, the money would still have to be paid back. We need to get funding into Ireland and all businesses.

Look at what the likes of Debenhams have done to this country. Debenhams left our workers on the streets for 100 days. We will now open the gates to other UK businesses to do the same to employees in Ireland. We cannot stand for this. We need to protect all people who are employed in this country. An example should be made of the likes of Debenhams. As a Government and as a country, we should stand up, send Debenhams a clear message and boycott anything it brings into this country - for delivery by An Post and others - as a result of Internet orders made to it. Everything of Debenhams should be stopped until the company looks after our workers. Our workers and our people have looked after Debenhams for generations. It is about time the company looked after us.

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