Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

Many people in Dublin and Donegal have lost their jobs over the past few weeks. They are in receipt of €203 per week because of public health advice and for public health reasons. This did not happen of their own volition; they did not lose their jobs in normal circumstances. Rather, they were forced out of their workplaces.

We are facing into the winter. People have to pay rents of €1,800 and mortgages. Electricity and fuel bills go up during the winter. Families are trying to feed their children while living on €203 or €250 a week, but they earned more when employed. I ask the Taoiseach to reinstate the previous levels of the pandemic unemployment payment and the employment subsidy scheme and reintroduce legislation to protect people from evictions and rent increases. If we do not do that, as the Taoiseach said, a cohort of low-paid workers will be left in a very vulnerable situation. We need to address that and reinforce that we are all in this together rather than hanging apart.

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