Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is clear to everyone in the House that the second lockdown has impacted our society, possibly more than the first. That is notwithstanding the participation of children in schools and the continuation of certain sectors of the economy. Thankfully, we have the hope of several vaccines for 2021. Without them, I believe the picture would be grim indeed.

We know the impact lockdown has had on domestic violence. We know, or are beginning to know, the impact on mental health. We thank every person in Ireland who has so faithfully changed his or her way of living to try to protect the most vulnerable from the virus.

I want to highlight two things in my contribution. The first is the real challenge felt by young people. They have been impacted more than we have given them credit for. There is no doubt that lockdown can be easier for people with longer life experience and those who may have a partner at home with whom to share the evenings, though there are many who, working at home all day with their partners and spending the evening with them as well, could be facing genuine challenges of a different kind. We need to acknowledge that as well. Anyway, young people need to be considered as an emerging vulnerable group in the planning for the vaccine distribution. They are suffering a peculiar isolation, whether living with or away from families. We need them to get back out, back to college, back to work and back to working in publicly facing businesses. This is going to be important for them later in life. I appeal for this to be seriously included in the thinking for vaccine planning.

The second issue relates to business supports. The range of supports provided this year for businesses by the Government are without precedent. Of course, this is in the context where their activities have had to be constrained by the Government and the Parliament to keep other people safe. We acknowledge that and thank them for it. Next year, 2021, needs to be a new vista for those businesses. They need to be able to open and they need time to plan for it.

I remain concerned about the events and exhibition sectors. They are unable to apply for the covid restrictions support scheme. I hope they can be included in the fund for live events established by the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin. I hope other businesses that have been nearly closed will be supported as well. Bars, hotels and those in the hospitality sector as a whole have been affected similarly.

We have done remarkable work together. People are tired now. I wish to reiterate the comments of my colleagues earlier about the need for new planning and new ways of managing our collective behaviour while we wait for a longer-term solution.

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