Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State and welcome his assurances that in the way it is designed, the wage subsidy scheme could not allow somebody to claim more than they would pass on to an individual employee. That is really welcome. It would be reassuring for the employees of Aer Lingus to know that whatever was claimed in their name was given to them. However, while I know the Minister of State is saying there is no legal obligation that they would have to claim more, it absolutely beggars belief when free money was available to an organisation that was specifically put in place to help support people through a difficult time, it would not be claimed on the behalf of their employees. The employer took the route of putting them down to 50% of their pre-Covid salary, and then in June down to 30% of it, when the money was being made available by the State to keep these people on a minimum standard of living. They actually would have been better off letting all of those people go who were earning under €39,000, which is the vast majority of the people in Aer Lingus, and allowing them claim the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP. It is no reflection on the Minister of State or the Department but it really calls into question whether we should be thinking about Aer Lingus as a blue-chip employer.

Going back to the wage subsidy scheme, when employers denoted their employees as J9, this was the classification we made up so that they would not be paying USC, PRSI or any of the other social insurance taxes. We specifically said that J9 PRSI claimants were working seven days, which means they will never be able to claim the short-time working scheme from March until September. There would have to be a review or some help from the Revenue Commissioners to allow these people to go back and claim access to a support system that is based on demand. I ask the Minister of State to go back to the Revenue Commissioners and the Minister to see if there is any way we can help these employees. Leaving aside Aer Lingus and whatever it did or did not do for and on behalf of its employees, the State has a responsibility to recognise that people cannot live on €317 a fortnight. It is just not possible. We as legislators would not expect them to do so which is why the PUP was introduced at €350 and now reduced to €300 a week. I ask the Minister of State to bring that request back to the Revenue Commissioners and the Minister.