Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Boyd Barrett was first with his query on taxi drivers, the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment and the temporary Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme. I have spoken to the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection. Certain social protection measures allow her to help out people in certain sectors such as the arts, and she has been in contact with them. As I said to the Deputy earlier, a broader approach is under consideration. That work is being carried on between the relevant Ministers in preparation for the budget. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, will be meeting representatives of taxi drivers. I take the Deputy's point about measures that do not cost money but have wider implications. He referred to suspending the issuing of taxi licences. We have extended the period of renewal from ten years to 12 years. The 50% rule concerning public transport is a public health measure. Buses do not grow on trees. They are not easy to procure. Huge efforts are underway at the moment to procure buses for school routes while complying with public health advice, but that takes time. The 50% rule regarding public transport still has a very strong public health basis. We have engaged with NPHET on this, and it is of the view that the rule should be maintained.

In response to Deputy Kelly's queries about the budget, I note that the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform will issue statements tomorrow on overall budgetary strategy pertaining to deficits and expenditure. Tax receipts have been buoyant, which reflects the progressive nature of the tax system but also shows that those on lower incomes have lost out more. Tax returns, particularly corporate tax receipts, have remained solid, which is helping the overall financial situation. That said, there has been an unprecedented intervention in the economy. People who use words like "awkward" and "clumsy" need to get real. The scale of the intervention is anything but awkward or clumsy. The Government has only been in place for 11 or 12 weeks. The temporary Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme has been extended to April. The Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment has been extended, and the rates are still relative to what people were earning before Covid. It has also been opened to new entrants. There is a suite of enterprise measures such as the restart grant scheme, supports and tax measures. This will benefit lots of people involved in enterprises.

Deputy Murphy raised the issue of redundancy payments. There is an issue here that we must all face. Our overarching priority is to protect employment. If redundancy claims were triggered straight away, many enterprises could fold overnight. The whole agenda during this pandemic is to get as many enterprises as possible through it intact so that after Covid-19 they can grow again and employ their existing workforce and more workers if possible. That is a laudable objective in itself, but there are limits to it and the intervention has only been extended to November. The budget will include further financial intervention to support certain sectors of the economy. We are going to assist particularly those sectors that will not enjoy the income levels they would have enjoyed if the public health advice was otherwise.

Deputy Kelly mentioned the Green Party. I understand that the Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, website already referred to a five-year timeline for the M20, including the planning and design stages. That is where it was. People deliberately distort certain statements but that is the factual position. I remember checking it during the negotiation of the programme for Government. That was the timeline on the TII website-----

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