Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Fairness needs to be the heart of everything we do in we how we respond to the public health crisis. That is not where we are at; far from it. Now we have a situation where there will be free antigen tests for Deputies, Senators, Ministers, and staff in this House. However, front-line workers, including nurses, doctors, teachers, and those in retail, will have to dig deep and have to pay up. It is time to deliver free antigen tests for everybody in society. That is the fair thing to do.

Where is the fairness in what has happened to those working in the late-night sector? They were closed down with no warning. They had 48 hour-notice period and there was no consultation with them. That is absolutely heartbreaking. They were last to come back into employment and are the first go back into unemployment. This is happening at a time the Government is cutting the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP. The comments from Ministers on this are absolutely insulting, telling those individuals to go and find another job. Can the Minister give a commitment to those people who will be out of work as a result of these decisions that the PUP will be restored to the original rate?

See this speech in context