Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Leader to organise a debate, at the earliest possible opportunity, on the theme of restarting the economy. We are all very conscious that as we progress through the passing of the Covid-19 crisis, we need to start rebooting the economy. There are some Government supports for individuals and companies but we need to examine the criteria because some of them are not fit for purpose and do not meet the needs of some sectors of the economy, particularly the tourism sector. Much of the tourism sector depends on getting a lot of money in between now and the end of August or early September. For many operators within the tourism sector, this season will not be of any benefit. They depend on the moneys that are normally generated at this time of year to sustain them through the winter period and allow them to begin again next year.I am concerned that if we do not find a way to support them on a continuous basis, those attractions, operations and operators will not be in existence next year. Hopefully by the next season, we will have either found a cure or some method of working beyond that but there is a crisis and we need to address it. I am particularly concerned about tourism attractions and tourism operators.

Within that issue, we need to look at how the State might invest in key infrastructure at this time and I am conscious of the smaller rural villages that do not have sewerage schemes or systems. They are too small for Irish Water to address in the current climate. We are talking about stimulating economic activity and it ties in with what others have said about remote working and being able to operate outside of large centres of population. That will not happen unless we put the infrastructure in place. There is value for money right now and that kind of investment will bring great benefit. It is important that we would have an input from this House because there is a lot of expertise here from the various different vocational panels and through individuals' experiences that can contribute to this effort at rebuilding our economy and country.