Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I agreed that those assistance packages were put in place. I welcomed them. I disagree with the Minister that it is the fault of the pandemic, however. It is the Government's reaction to the pandemic and the way in which it has dealt with it. I want to outline the destructive impacts and unprecedented levels of unemployment, which the Minister has mentioned. I mention, for instance, the collapse of the small business sector. The Minister has to be real here. Where are we going to go the longer this lockdown goes on? We are in the longest lockdown in Europe. The WHO said lockdowns do not work. We know that yet the Minister continues to continue with them blindfolded.

Up until recently, the Minister said there would not be extra taxes. Recently, however, he said that there would be extra taxes after this pandemic. Will the hard-pressed businesspeople and taxpayers - working people - have to pay all this back? The Minister will have to get help and forbearance from Europe and, indeed, a rollover and deferral of the debt, because it is going to be massive. I believe there were many other ways of tackling it without simply locking everything down and keeping it locked down. That has failed. Other countries have proven they could do it in other ways but we had to be the good boys in Europe. We need forbearance from Europe on this.

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