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

The reason we made the changes in the PUP was exactly in recognition of the points that were made by Deputy Boyd Barrett. We brought in a scheme to support businesses that are shut or businesses that have an incredibly low level of trading because of public health guidance. However, the overwhelming majority of businesses that are on this scheme are completely shut.

We have many different schemes available to try to support those who cannot be helped by this scheme. The Department of Transport and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media have funding in place for programmes that are responding to the issues being raised by Deputy Boyd Barrett.

What we can do to best give the workers, to whom the Deputy is referring, the chance of a better income is to be able to safely reopen our economy and to give people confidence in public health. This, in turn, goes back to the arguments we had earlier regarding the difficult choices that are involved in doing this.

There is a justification for what we are doing in this scheme. This scheme is really valuable. It does something that will not always be acknowledged in this debate. It may be acknowledged by some. It is providing very valuable support to thousands of businesses on top of the other supports we have in place. The Departments, the Ministers, the Arts Council and the National Transport Authority, NTA, have the funding, have the ability and are responding as much as they can to the issues specific to the workers and to the sectors they are responsible for and that they regulate.

See this speech in context