Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Tánaiste's reply. In the case of manufacturing industry in my county, this is a very significant issue if a company has 140 workers and is considering lay-offs. It cannot increases its costs because it is tied into contracts internationally. The problem is that if people are laid off, they will be making claims on the State by way of supports. It is terribly important to try to add in those supports now and keep people at work if at all possible. There is not one formula to fit all the problems but I go back to what the Government did during the Covid period. The opportunity is there to do now what it did then. I know these are different problems and would involve different schemes and opportunities, but the Government must tackle this. People have confidence because it did it in the past. We need to prove our capacity as a Government and a State to respond to this dreadful international crisis. It was not caused by the Government but we must attempt to solve it. We must pull out all the stops on this.

See this speech in context