Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

First, I thank the Tánaiste and Minister with responsibility for enterprise, trade and employment as well as the Ministers of State, Deputies English and Troy, for their work in providing an update on the range of business supports now available. Confidence and certainty are critical sentiments required by local businesses and enterprise operating in the real economy. Thankfully, this week we have moved to a medium-term framework following the publication of the resilience and recovery plan for living with Covid.

We need to make sure that we act collectively as a society to ensure that we never return to a lockdown situation. Our business owners have been incredibly resilient and we need to nurture their needs in the months ahead. Quite frankly, our economic future depends on it.

Many of my extended family are self-employed and I have seen at first hand the havoc caused by prolonged business closures. I spoke in the Chamber last week about protecting the mental health of our older people and in the weeks and months ahead, we must also do the same for our entrepreneurs and business owners. They carry the weight of their employees on their shoulders and ensure that they have enough capital to make payroll, even if that means cutting back on their own take-home pay or forgoing it altogether. This is not sustainable.

I have been incredibly impressed, and, in fact, proud, to see so many changes businesses have made around Mayo since March. I am a strong believer in the only constant being change itself and when I walk into some shops now, it is somewhat surreal when compared to pre-Covid times.

Publicans and retailers and their staff have truly gone above and beyond in doing their part to protect their community. They have changed their way of doing business even if it results in reduced capacity. We need to commend them and their overwhelmingly responsible behaviour.

In terms of more practical business supports, I note that the Department has a detailed booklet available on its website outlining the supports for businesses impacted by Covid. I suggest that it should be distributed nationally to business owners or that at a minimum, hard copies be sent to local enterprise offices, LEOs, if the Department has not already done so.

Before the summer recess, I spoke briefly about the difficulties being experienced by policyholders when claiming for business interruption cover. I note that the UK High Court handed down its judgment yesterday in the Financial Conduct Authority's business interruption insurance test case on behalf of policyholders. I was particularly interested to note that the court found in favour of the arguments advanced for policyholders by the Financial Conduct Authority, FCA, on the majority of key issues. I understand that the Central Bank of Ireland has been in contact with the FCA about the issue here and the Central Bank has since published its business interruption insurance supervisory framework. I raise this point as I want to ensure that the business interruption cover is not forgotten about until the majority of claims have been finalised in adherence with the highest standards of financial conduct. While insurance is not a specific responsibility of the Minister of State, Deputy English's Department, it is an issue weighing heavily on the business owners and is worth mentioning.

See this speech in context