Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State and his officials for bringing forward this motion. I welcome the opportunity to examine it. I will be supporting the motion which will authorise the Minister for Finance to not allocate €500 million to the rainy day fund for 2021. The action is prudent given the very exceptional circumstances created by the Covid-19 pandemic. A similar motion under section 6 of the National Surplus Act 2019 was proposed last year in the context of the pandemic and in 2019 because of Brexit. Given the international economic environment, returns on investments are minimal and the €500 million will be better spent being invested here in Ireland. That said, the medium-term benefits of building a counter-cyclical fund remain. The macro economic outlook for next year is very positive and in those circumstances I would like to see the payments resume in the future. It is important we prudently set aside funds during the good times for future challenges. We have mentioned challenge of Brexit. Who was to know that something would surpass Brexit? It was the issue of the time, and remains a significant challenge for this country, but then along came the pandemic and really put us to the test. However, the Government moved quickly, and rightly so, at the outset of the pandemic to provide funds. The Minister of State said it required €48 billion to deal with the pandemic and to fund front-line Departments, local authorities and agencies to ensure the continuity of public services, protect incomes and re-imagine the public realm.

The work of officials and staff at the Department of Social Protection in particular should be noted. They reacted overnight, ensuring more than half a million workers had access to pandemic unemployment payment. I also want to acknowledge the actions of Revenue in dealing with companies and all their queries about employees and themselves.

The response of the Revenue Commissioners was exemplary, especially in the early and middle parts of last year, and should be acknowledged. Local authorities also moved quickly to improve the public realm, installing public toilets, bins, outdoor seating, etc., and providing all sorts of other services. I encourage local authorities to retain improvements that have worked and engage in meaningful public consultation, which is key in this regard.

However, now the acute phase of the pandemic has passed - I hope it is behind us - it is important we resume normal procurement practices to ensure taxpayers' money is spent prudently. This is particularly important given the increase in costs for construction projects and services. I join the Minister of State in expressing condolences to those who passed away during the pandemic. This is not all about money. This is about the impact it has had on society, families, workers and businesses across the country. We must remember that when we are discussing finance in this House. I thank the Minister of State and his officials for their attendance today and for their assistance over the past 20 months.

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