Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and congratulate her formally on her election. It is great to see a woman from the west of Ireland in the seat that she now holds.

I thank the Minister for taking this debate. I welcome the stimulus package as in principle, it should be welcomed. While I have concerns that it may not be as focused as it needs to be, the intention has merit and I welcome that the package has been brought forward. I will flag some concerns with the Minister and I hope he will address them during the Committee and Report Stages of this legislation, or between now and budget day.

One of my concerns is the temporary wage subsidy scheme. I had advocated that this should have been more extensively used than the pandemic unemployment payment. I welcome that it is now being extended and put on a statutory basis. I have concerns, however, regarding the Bord na Móna seasonal staff in my part of the country who have been directly impacted by the Covid-19 crisis. Initially, there was a fall-off in demand for electricity and subsequently they have been affected as a result of planning decisions. Many of those seasonal staff were not called back by Bord na Móna prior to 1 March and as a result they are ineligible for this subsidy. They are not in receipt of the PUP and in many cases, are drawing off their means-tested payment under unemployment assistance at this stage. If we are talking about a just transition, therefore, we must ensure that we have a just transition for the seasonal staff in Bord na Móna who have lost out on the temporary wage subsidy scheme and the pandemic unemployment payment. I hope the Minister will engage with Bord na Móna on this specific issue.

When the Minister is engaging with Bord na Móna, I would be grateful if he could raise another issue. Last October specific funding was set aside for Bord na Móna. We had legislation before us last week with the same purpose and the objective was to try and guarantee employment for Bord na Móna employees in a just transition through rehabilitating bogs across the midlands. Staff have informed me that as a result of the agreement reached in the context of the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, there is no commitment to employing Bord na Móna seasonal staff to carry out this rehabilitative work. They definitely will not be employed during the three winter months of the year but there is also no guarantee that those workers will get employment during the other nine months of the year. It is imperative that Bord na Móna staff members have the opportunity to gain employment as a result of the investment being channelled through the company and into the midland counties.

I welcome the €10 million provided in the business continuity fund for the coach operator industry. However, I believe it is insufficient. As the Minister knows, coach operators have lost out on tourism this year. Many operators are involved in private school transport and have also lost that income. The private hire market has completely collapsed. There are over 1,700 operators in the country, employing 11,500 people. The business continuity fund is equivalent to €870 for each of those employees. That is insufficient to deal with the specific problem the industry faces. If we are talking about more sustainable transport, these particular operators are the key because they make approximately 75 million passenger journeys per year. I ask the Minister to look again at that issue.

I want the Minister to address another issue that is not dealt with in this legislation, which is disappointing. The Government is now actively encouraging people and families not to go on holidays abroad regardless of whether the destination country is on the green list. The difficulty is that, in many cases, families have already paid for their holidays and there is no mechanism in place for them to receive a refund. The Government is not intervening but is instead giving the insurance industry a free pass on this matter. Ordinary working families who do not take the holidays they have booked are losing approximately €1 million a day in lost holiday fees. The vast majority of people to whom I have spoken want to stay at home but will end up losing the money they have already paid for their family holiday. It would surely make far more sense for the Government to provide those people with a voucher to remain at home and holiday in Ireland in lieu of travelling abroad with the associated risk of bringing back Covid-19. The vast majority of families to whom I have spoken would like to remain at home but cannot afford to do so.

I will turn to the tourism sector and the new support package being introduced. I welcome that investment is being made in the tourism sector and the scheme involves some innovation. That said, a tax credit scheme is not the way to go because we need to be encouraging retired people in particular to travel in the off-peak season. Retired people have time on their hands whereas, sadly, many of us with young families will not get the opportunity to travel. Of course, retired people are not paying tax in many cases and will not be able to avail of this particular incentive. Some operators might increase the cost of services or accommodation to leverage this money while some of the people who might wish to avail of the scheme will not be able to get the benefit of tax relief. A mechanism must be put in place to facilitate older people.

There also needs to be a mechanism put in place that does not discriminate against my part of the country. Fáilte Ireland has made a substantial investment in marketing Ireland's Hidden Heartlands about which the Minister and I have spoken at length. The Minister knows my neck of the woods very well and deep in his heart he is, in principle, in favour of promoting the area. This scheme discriminates against my region. There is a nasty little clause that Merrion Street has included in the legislation to the effect that a property must be registered with Fáilte Ireland to qualify for the scheme. That is great for someone who is from Kerry or represents that county. There are 155 premises registered with Fáilte Ireland that provide bed and breakfast accommodation in County Kerry. There are 15 in County Westmeath, ten in County Roscommon, nine in County Offaly, three in County Longford and five in County Laois. Where will people go? They will not visit the Hidden Heartlands, a part of the country that has had its guts pulled out as a result of the just transition.

Fáilte Ireland has spent a substantial amount of money marketing our region. We can easily provide social distancing because we do not have the large populations that other areas have. The amenities and recreational facilities are in place and thanks to the announcement made today by two Ministers, Deputies Eamon Ryan and Catherine Martin, further investment will be made in greenways in our region. That is very welcome but we do not have Fáilte Ireland accredited accommodation. There is accommodation available but it is not accredited by Fáilte Ireland. Surely if a business is registered for VAT, has a tax clearance certificate and is providing holiday accommodation and food, it should be eligible for the scheme. Why do businesses have to be registered and pay a fee to Fáilte Ireland in order to avail of the scheme? My understanding is that the push is coming from Merrion Street and not Fáilte Ireland on this matter.

The situation now is that I can bring my family on holidays, we can buy a burger and chips and claim tax relief on that expenditure but if I go with Airbnb or self-catering accommodation that is not registered with Fáilte Ireland, I cannot claim that relief. Surely the sector of the economy that we need to be supporting is the one that is dependent on tourism, particularly in our region which has a fledgling tourism sector that is starting to take off. There was a big announcement on the Hidden Heartlands two years ago and many businesses have invested in upgrading their accommodation and converting farmhouses to accommodate families. Investment has also been made in infrastructure but if the businesses in question do not come with the Fáilte Ireland stamp, their customers cannot avail of this tax relief.

I plead with the Minister to take action if he is serious about promoting balanced regional development, ensuring we have tourism in the Hidden Heartlands in the middle of Ireland and encouraging and incentivising businesses to establish in the tourism sector in the region. That will be the future for Bord na Móna employees, particularly seasonal ones. A detailed application to the just transition fund has been submitted by some of these employees in counties Longford and Roscommon. I hope it will be accepted by the Government but what would be the point in doing that if we do not facilitate people to come and stay in our region because we do not have a rubber stamp of approval from Fáilte Ireland? I plead with the Minister to consider this matter before we deal with Report Stage.

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