Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I too commend the Minister on his work in delivering these schemes and working on a very hands-on basis with business people and his Government colleagues. I also thank the staff of local authorities and of the Revenue Commissioners. Businesses have endured an unprecedented year, and without these vital supports, many of them would have folded. Schemes like the CRSS and the employment wage subsidy scheme are vital, therefore, and it is vital that they are extended. It is equally important there is no cliff edge, and I welcome the Minister’s comments again today on that. For many of the sectors that have been so badly affected, such as aviation, hospitality and tourism, there should be a specific sectoral support tailored for these specific industries and those supports should be made available for the rest of this year and indeed into next year.

If you look at County Clare, the mid-west region and Shannon Airport, we have a huge number of people involved in aviation. Indeed, the Minister and I met a company on the vital nature of the employment wage subsidy scheme and the company asked that it be extended to the end of the year. I plead with the Minister and the Government to make the commitment that these particular companies, which employ so many people in County Clare and the mid-west region, need to give them certainty to plan for the future so that they will be able to survive into the future.

I also lend my voice to the case in relation to insurance. It is regrettable the insurance industry would stoop so low as to try to reduce the premiums awarded to businesses that have been shut down and after the business interruption they have endured. It is regrettable the industry would seek to reduce the premiums awarded to businesses by reducing the award due to the State supports they have received. I, too, call on Ministers to make a strong statement to the insurance industry on this issue.

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