Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will deal first with the amendment from Deputy Boyd Barrett. He is genuinely raising an issue concerning groups of workers severely affected by the impact of Covid-19 and who are finding it desperately hard to rebuild their incomes and to imagine getting their jobs back. This CRSS is broad in that it is available to all parts of our economy which meet two criteria. The first is that businesses must have a premises and the second is that the premises is closed or has a very low level of trading due to the guidance given by the Government regarding public health.

I accept that means some groups of workers are not included in this scheme. Within those groups is a smaller group of workers who, for example, cannot participate in the employment wage subsidy scheme, EWSS, which is a massive source of support now to almost 350,000 of our fellow citizens. Changes, however, were made to the PUP payment to allow people to do some work and retain all or some of that payment. My colleagues, the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan and the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, have funding available, and they are using those funds to launch schemes to try to support workers in the sectors to which Deputy Boyd Barrett referred. I have no doubt at all that the Deputy will raise the case of those musicians who have been unable to get funding. As we move into 2021, however, and maybe even later this year, I believe there will be opportunities for other rounds of funding to be run to allow, for example, more musicians and artists access funding to allow them to participate in the events or fund the activities to which the Deputy has referred.

I reiterate what I said in a different section of this Finance Bill. The different programmes contained in this legislation are helping hundreds of thousands of workers now. Unfortunately, however, whenever we are designing any kind of a programme, particularly in dealing with an emergency such as this one, I will always hear more about those who are just about excluded from schemes such as this than I will about those who are included in and benefiting from these schemes because they deserve to benefit from them and they need that benefit. That is fine, because that is the way debate in the Oireachtas should be. It is understandable that we should be continually raising issues regarding those who are not receiving support but who Teachtaí feel should be. This is why the Ministers, Deputies Ryan and Martin, are putting in place programmes and changes to attempt to offer further help to the workers to whom Deputy Boyd Barrett has referred.

Regarding dancing, which has been touched on by several Deputies, it is not covered in this Bill, but I recognise the work dance teachers do and how valuable that is. From personal experience, I also know how valuable dance classes are and the effect they have on the well-being and physical health of young girls and boys. I understand that aspect, but again, we have received advice and guidance from our public health professionals and experts regarding things we should not do if we are trying to facilitate the opening of more of our economy and society. The advice we received and which we considered, and we examined this matter separately ourselves, is that certain forms of activity are safer to open now and to continue to keep open. I refer to non-contact physical training, for example. There is a higher level of risk, however, if we allow contact games or indoor physical activity.

I recognise that creates hardship, but that is not because, as a Deputy suggested, we are trying to create a police state. It is also not because any decisions are being taken on a whim. We are very much aware of the impact of all the decisions we must make. They are difficult decisions. To support the opening of as much of our economy and society as possible, however, it will be the case that for some time we will need to leave other parts of our society not being able to function in the way they would wish. We must make trade-offs now for the benefit of trying to get as much of our society open as possible. These are not decisions made from a lack of empathy or understanding. Opposition Deputies can meet a group and come in here and represent the interests of that group. I do not have the luxury of being able to focus on one group. I have a duty to all groups and to all of our society. We are trying to get as much of society open as we can, and to do that safely. Trade-offs are, unfortunately, required which are difficult but necessary to allow that opening to happen.

Regarding the issue concerning pubs, we also discussed this issue in other parts of the Finance Bill. To reiterate those arguments briefly, the data we looked at and the advice we received indicated that if we are seeking to open some pubs, restaurants and hotels, then to be able to keep them open safely and sustainably for as long as we can, we must make choices elsewhere. It is hard for those who experience the consequences of those choices and it is hard to make those decisions.

Turning to the CRSS, any scheme which is intended to apply to so much of our economy must have simple criteria that can be easily understood and applied by the Revenue Commissioners. For those businesses which fall outside the remit of this scheme, there are many other schemes which they can participate in and benefit from. Those businesses need that benefit and support, and we are trying to keep them going during what I know is a very difficult time.

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