Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak in this debate. There is no disputing that Covid-19 has turned our society and our economy completely upside down. It has brought great difficulties and has asked many hard questions of the people. In particular, it has put pressure on healthcare and medical workers.

I want to talk briefly about student nurses and midwives because they are one group who have experienced the sharpest edges of this pandemic. This is a timely opportunity, therefore, to remind people of what this Government has done over the past two weeks. Only two weeks ago, Government Deputies from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party voted against giving nurses a fair wage despite the essential role they have played during the Covid-19 pandemic. Deputies in my constituency, Deputies Darragh O'Brien, Alan Farrell and Joe O'Brien, voted against paying student nurses and midwives. However, just five days later, the same Government managed to find €12 million to restore pension payments for retired taoisigh and the same Ministers who were in office during the financial crash a decade ago. On top of that it has decided to increase the pay of political party Whips in the Dáil, an increase the Sinn Féin Whips have declined. This is a shocking insult to student nurses and midwives who do highly skilled work in challenging conditions. They are the glue that holds our healthcare system together. Without them, the healthcare system simply could not function in the way that it does. Many student nurses and midwives across north County Dublin have been working around the clock to provide essential healthcare to our community. Rounds of applause and kind words do not pay the rent. The Government has badly let down our student nurses and midwives. That is unacceptable. The comparison between having money for retired taoisigh and Ministers but refusing to pay student nurses and midwives shows where this Government's priorities truly lie.

I call on the Minister and his Government to put in place a safe and secure system to allow the immediate family members of the players and coaches partaking in the ladies' and men's all-Ireland football finals to attend the games this weekend. Sinn Féin has previously called for this to be done for the hurling and camogie finals as well as the men's and women's FAI Cup matches. I cannot imagine how disappointing it must be as a parent to be told that while restrictions in many other sectors are being eased, one cannot stand in a massive and almost empty 80,000-seater stadium and see one's child play on what is one of the most important occasions of his or her life.

The issue of wet pubs or traditional pubs has been raised. The continued closure of these traditional pubs and small rural pubs, and pubs in working-class areas in particular, without proper compensation for those businesses has devastated the pub trade. On top of that, insurance companies have refused to pay up on business interruption claims from some businesses, in particular pubs that have seen their business drastically affected by the public health restrictions. I call on the Government to deliver additional support for those pubs that have been closed for almost a year and will be under enforced closure over Christmas which, under normal circumstances, would be their busiest time of the year. Fair is fair. These businesses have been under lock and key and they deserve to be helped through this time.

I take the opportunity to raise briefly with the Minister the case of Aer Lingus workers and their social welfare entitlements, that is, their short-time work support payment to which they are entitled. Those workers have been providing the necessary and relevant forms to their employer to sign with the details of the reduced hours they are on. However, Aer Lingus has not been accurately or properly sending that information to the Department of Social Protection or to the Intreo offices. Instead, for reasons that I believe now need to be investigated by the appropriate agencies, it has been putting the wrong information on the forms telling the Department that the workers have been working full hours when their hours have been reduced to 30% in some cases. Some of the workers whose claims have been assessed have been denied their payment in the wrong. The incorrect information relayed by the company has resulted in them not getting their payments to which they are clearly entitled. Those workers are genuinely concerned about what is happening. I ask the Minister to join the Tánaiste and, please, have this matter investigated.

I call on the Minister and his Government to review the ban on music and dancing at weddings. The reaction from couples getting married to this most recent decision has been one of extreme disappointment, bearing in mind that these are people who have postponed their wedding day again and again. They have scaled them back again and again but feel the ban on music and dancing is very mean-spirited. I urge the Minister to review that, please. All these couples want is to have some sort of celebration on what we hope - and I often say to my husband that I hope - is a once in a lifetime event for them.

See this speech in context