Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In general terms, the Bill is welcome. It is indicative of the extraordinary times we are in that operational issues in respect of compliance arising from the Companies Acts and the Industrial and Provident Societies Act need to be addressed as a direct result of Covid-19. The ability to hold AGMs through video technology is something that has been accommodated elsewhere for a long time and the Bill is simply catching up with what has been done in other areas with regard to the use of electronic communication. We have a real opportunity to make use of such technology. I spent time on the audit committee of Longford and Westmeath Education and Training Board where our meetings could be facilitated through video link with a member in the UK. Unfortunately, that was not available to other ETBs and caused significant difficulties.

The elements of the Bill that deal with companies and small businesses struggling with debt are extremely welcome. However, I strongly recommend that these be inserted on a permanent basis. There are pressures on businesses' cash flow and the threshold at which businesses are deemed unable to pay debts for the purposes of being wound up is extremely low, even in normal times. Therefore, it is imperative that it is increased during this extraordinary time.

In that regard, the Bill seeks to support as many businesses as possible to trade through this crisis, supporting economic activity and preserving employment. In constituencies such as mine, Longford-Westmeath, which has seen the closure of Bord na Móna and the ESB in Lanesborough, significant numbers of people are leaving employment and moving into another industry in which they will need to gain experience. We need those businesses to continue operating.

Increasing the examinership period to give businesses breathing space to restructure will also be essential. However, much more needs to be done for business. When I saw what was on the agenda for today, I sat back and scratched my head. I sometimes wonder at the lack of joined-up thinking in the Government and if it is to be taken seriously. I spoke yesterday to a proprietary director who owns 15% of a very small business in Longford which will no longer be eligible for the wage subsidy scheme. This will put half a dozen people on jobseeker's payment because that company will close. The individual in question has run out of savings to keep it open.

Businesses have been waiting weeks for the Government's July stimulus package to be announced. To say it was disappointing is an understatement. The announcements for businesses were a total let-down. Not one business owner in my constituency rang me to say they were delighted, but plenty rang to ask where the rest of what had been promised was. They said they had not been thrown a lifebuoy, but an anchor and they were about to sink. Businesses are struggling to get back up and running. They have been screaming out for liquidity injections through grants. The Taoiseach went off to Europe and spoke about grants for an entire weekend but came back only to load our small businesses with debt. The 4:1 ratio of debt to grants flies in the face of something that is supposed to support business, encourage enterprise and maintain jobs. Businesses have been calling out for real and substantial grants, but they are nowhere to be seen.

The speed with which this legislation can be rushed through is also very interesting because it centres on the health and safety of company directors and board members. It is in stark contrast to the failure of the State to legislate to protect ordinary workers on the shop floor and in hospital wards and meat factories where we have repeatedly seen clusters of Covid. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has been to the fore in campaigning for a simple change by way of regulation - not even primary legislation - to make outbreaks of Covid-19 in workplaces notifiable to the Health and Safety Authority. That could have been done at the stroke of a pen. Workers could have been given additional protection for their health and safety, but it was not to be. The incidence of Covid-19 in meat plants has been rife during lockdown, including in my constituency. Many workers had their lives put in danger because of that failure to act.

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