Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister of State on his appointment and wish him well. This is very important legislation that we should support unequivocally. As Senator Ward stated, it is about putting a value on our SMEs. It is about a stimulus to support employment. It is about supporting people. It is about telling the risk-taker and those who work in a multiplicity of SMEs that they are valued. It is about the jobs we are creating, the goods that are being produced and bought and the supports at local level.

There is a profound line in the Bill to the effect that the pandemic constitutes an unprecedented challenge with very severe socio-economic consequences. That is what we are facing as a country, as a world but also as a European Union. That is why it is important that there is solidarity and unison and that we stand together, le chéile, to ensure that we do not go back to what happened in the decade which saw a lost generation in terms of what we had to do to rescue our country. That is why the value and the import of being a member of the EU stands today.

I want to congratulate the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, on his election last week as President of the Eurogroup. We should send a message of congratulations from this Chamber today to the former Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, and the former Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, for the stance they took regarding the Apple case. They were vindicated yesterday. Where are all the naysayers today who wanted to spend all that money? I send my congratulations to Enda Kenny and Michael Noonan. I am not ashamed to say in this House that Apple, which provides 6,000 direct jobs in Cork and a multiplicity of indirect jobs, is a company we should support. I will come back to that issue on another day.

Many of my colleagues mentioned the profound benefit of the wage subsidy scheme. It is important to give credit to this Government - and to the previous Government - for extending the wage subsidy scheme because it has allowed people to be employed. It has allowed business people to open their doors and employ people. Senator Murphy made a very good point regarding eligibility and the red tape involved. This is not a time to say that business X should be put to the four corners of the wind; it is about ensuring that we allow for viability and ensure that those risk-takers, and the jobs they create, are protected.The scaffolding has been put in place by this Bill. We must support jobs and protect workers. Senator Ward is 100% correct. I wrote down his comments about access to finance, an issue which pertains not only to this Bill but also to our pillar banks and financial institutions. Senator Ward is right. The banks must work with business people, not against them. We must ensure that there is meaningful and real accountability for our financial institutions. Senator McGahon made a very good point about the temporary Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme.

Let us make it simple, as the Cathaoirleach said. Let us work with people to protect and create jobs. More than ever before, we are all wearing the green jersey. The job of the Government, of the European Union and of everybody is to work to create and sustain jobs, not to eliminate them or put red tape, obstacles or obfuscation in people's way. We must offer support. I wish the Minister of State well. He has always been a very formidable person, both in Opposition and in Government. He deserves his opportunity to be a Minister of State. He was a very good Chairman of the committee on which he served. I wish him well.

Finally, I am glad Senator Gavan is back. We again congratulate former Deputies Michael Noonan and Enda Kenny on what they did in Europe.