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

I have already spoken privately to the Minister regarding problems with the payment. Some people who were not working between 6 and 13 March do not receive the payment and I do not believe they will. They are seasonal workers. If the lockdown had not happened for a few more weeks, they would have been covered. Bus drivers at a standstill in January and February are not being helped by the wage subsidy scheme because they were not working then.

There is another part to this. People had to be working in January and February to qualify for the scheme so employers are not employing people who were not employed in January or February. There are also people who were working part time in January and February, who will only be covered for the same number of hours by the employers if they are back at work. In many cases, they would be better off on the payment because they are only allowed to work fewer hours but they are not on the payment because they were not working between 6 and 13 of March and they were not working in January and February. I want the Minister to understand this. Bus drivers and hotel workers are all affected by this.

Some hotel workers are back, but none of the bus drivers is back. Their stamps have run out or are running out and they will have nothing for the winter. Perhaps the Minister does not understand, but if one was not working from 6 March to 13 March one was not entitled to the coronavirus payment and if one was not working in the months of January and February one is not entitled to the wage subsidy. That is very unfair, so perhaps the Minister will respond.

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