Results 7,981-8,000 of 11,246 for speaker:Colm Burke

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: I am concerned about the letter from the Department of Health to HIQA, dated 2 April, which reads: "I would be grateful if as a matter of urgency, you would commence the progression of this action and provide an update at the NPHET meeting on Friday 3rd April." There was a gap of four weeks before HIQA was asked to do something. Was there a presumption that this was being done? I ask Dr. De...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: The Department wrote to HIQA on 2 April, so it must have been concerned that the work was not being done. Based on Dr. De Gascun's view from being involved in the committee, was an impression given that work was being done to deal with nursing homes at a very early stage? We now have a letter from the Department to HIQA on 2 April that clearly indicates that the Department was concerned...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: There was a period of four weeks when perhaps something more proactive should have been done by working with the nursing homes, HIQA and the Department. What is Dr. De Gascun's view on that? Was there a presumption within the committee that this was already being done?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: This letter indicates that the Department was concerned that there was not a focus on those vulnerable groups.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: I thank Mr. McDonnell and Mr. McCoy for their work and for their presentations today. I wish to go back to the funding available. I understand that the restart grant, which allows grants of between €2,000 and €10,000, is very much aimed at small businesses. Am I correct in saying there is €250 million in that fund?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: The Covid-19 working capital scheme has €200 million available for loans. Enterprise Ireland has more than €180 million available in a sustaining enterprise fund. They are all available currently. Are these not very much geared to small enterprises in real terms?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: My next question is for both witnesses. Have ISME and IBEC made detailed submissions to Government about what they want done?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: Is it possible that those submissions would be made available to Members?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: And in relation to IBEC?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: I am aware that we received some documentation, but are there other proposals that we have not seen in the public domain that the organisations have made to the Government?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: I turn now to the banks and an issue with which I have a big problem. A simple recent example concerns a person who is in a permanent, pensionable, State job. This person and her partner are having a house built on a site they own. They wanted to draw down €60,000 of the loan to pay the builder. The bank would not allow it to be drawn down, therefore the builder cannot now pay his...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: I can give Mr. McCoy 25 cases where they are refusing to pay out loans because one of the parties is being paid full time by their company but the company is availing of the Covid support. The jobs are permanent jobs, there is no risk to the jobs, yet in 25 cases I know of the banks are not paying out the loans. Is that helping business?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: Okay. What engagements has ISME had with the banks, especially with small companies? Has Mr. McDonnell found that there is engagement at a local level, or that all the decisions are now made further up the line?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: Between small businesses and the banks.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: On Mr. McDonnell's concerns about the banks, is there going to be a joint approach between say IBEC, ISME, and the Goverment in dealing with the issues that are arising with them that small businesses are finding difficult?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: Does Mr. McDonnell feel that the banks could approach it in a better way than they are doing at the moment?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: On the latter issue, my understanding is that anyone who had a Safe Pass which expired after 1 March has had it extended, but anyone whose Safe Pass expired before 1 March cannot go back into employment. Can Dr. Quinn give me some clarification on that?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: There is a period of time between 1 January and 1 March. Could we not extend it back to 1 January so that anyone who had a valid Safe Pass after 1 January would also get the extension in the same way as the people whose Safe Pass expired after 1 March? I do not understand why the time was put in so strictly. I know of one person whose Safe Pass expired on 18 February. That person cannot...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: I have already raised a query but I have not got a satisfactory answer. There are quite a number of people in that category where their Safe Pass was valid after 1 January but not after 1 March. They are now in a position where they cannot go to work. I presume that because of the level of inspections and everything else, employers will not allow anyone on site unless they have a Safe...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Colm Burke: The second issue I want to touch on relates to young people. We have a large number of young people who are now unemployed. We face a huge challenge over the next 12 months because many people, especially people who finished whatever training they were doing, would normally travel for 12 months or 18 months and then come back to Ireland to work or maybe they would stay away for two or three...