Dáil debates

Wednesday, 16 December 2020

Impact of Covid-19 Restrictions: Motion [Private Members]

 

10:40 am

Photo of Pat BuckleyPat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Rural Independent Group for bringing forward this important motion. We have listened to all the praise here for student nurses, healthcare staff, services workers, childcare workers, people who work in the area of mental health, small and medium businesses and those who run the traditional pubs, yet there is very little support for them. People have contacted my office in the past couple of months, but particularly in recent weeks, who say they are getting zero services.

The housing crisis is escalating but I want to speak about the local businesses and the local pubs. I met about 48 publicans a number of weeks ago and, for the record, we adhered to the social distancing rules. I listened to all sides of the story. Some owners can afford to open but are not allowed open. Some cannot open because of the restrictions. I acknowledge that there are certain payments in place but many of the pub owners I met are over the age of 66, and because they already get a payment, they have been cast out on the side.

It may not be fair to single out one local business, but when the lockdown restrictions came in, the La Trattoria restaurant in Midleton cooked more than 3,500 dinners which volunteers and staff delivered to people who were under house self-isolation. They should be acknowledged for doing that.

I appeal to the Minister to start thinking outside the box and show some empathy and a bit of balance, as previous speakers said. In particular, he might give people in the pub trade a choice in terms of what they can do. Musicians are suffering badly as a result of the restrictions, and weddings were mentioned earlier.

I had many inquiries from expectant mothers whose partners were not allowed go into hospital with them. What should have been the happiest time of their lives was very stressful. I welcome the recent announcement on that.

While we seem to be moving in the right direction, and we can put up the red flag, we have to take a case-by-case approach to the restrictions and be empathetic. There is a perception that if we open the pub doors, everyone will run into them. I do not believe that will be the case. What is hurting people more than anything else, regardless of their age or the demographic they come from, is the lack of choice. People are not being given the choice, which is the most important aspect. In a few months we will be a year under these restrictions. We have to take into account all the decisions being made, whether by the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, the Government or NPHET, but we have to be conscious also of the mentality, the stress levels and the pressure on people who cannot get access to health services or whatever. As I said, we should take everything case by case, be empathetic, think about the choices we make and how they affect people but also about how we can give people the opportunity to choose to do what they know is right for them.

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