Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. As he has rightly said, the impact on various sectors of the domestic economy has been acute. A breakdown of the profiles of recipients of the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment shows that the largest number of workers comes from the accommodation and food service sector, which accounts for approximately 103,000 people. It is followed by wholesale and retail trade, accounting for approximately 57,000. Other sectors such hairdressers, beauty salons and so on account for approximately 31,000 recipients.

This is not a direct competition between health and the economy. The job of the Government is to weigh up competing considerations. Our first priority has to be helping to keep our people safe and investing in our public health service. We must only impose restrictions where we believe they are absolutely necessary. The Government's response, focused on supporting businesses and incomes and protecting employment where we can, has been noteworthy. The Deputy has been good enough to acknowledge that. A lack of confidence in public health can also impact the economy. We need to get both right.

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