Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

I note with great interest the information the Taoiseach has provided to the Dáil. He is expecting 40,000 to 50,000 new claims for the pandemic unemployment payment this week alone. In the previous debate, a point was made by a Deputy that it seems that, according to a fairly extensive online survey, the average pay of someone before having to go on the pandemic unemployment payment was over €500. In other words, people had suffered a cut of nearly €200 in their household income before the Government decided to cut the payment by €100, or €50, in September. Can the Taoiseach explain how €350 was regarded as a reasonable payment in March but not in October, when the virus is spreading and there is a large amount of untapped wealth in the hands of wealthy individuals? At the same time, the Government refuses even to countenance a serious wealth tax.

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