Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am happy to support the Order of Business today.

There are a number of items which I wish to put before the House. Something I believe would be interesting and topical for us to discuss is the whole area of employment and the different changes that have occurred due to this pandemic. The first factor is the level of youth unemployment. This is a significant problem for the country. The level of youth unemployment among the under-25s currently stands at almost 37%. Many of those have been employed in the lower income sectors, in hospitality and in retail and would have been in part-time and more precarious employment. Many of those jobs will not return in the short term. We have a serious issue around youth unemployment and the long-term impact on young people in this country. It would be a good debate to have in this House and to hear from the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to discuss the impact of that on this sector.

I welcome also the news this morning from IBEC which has published a report to identify the dual threat of Covid-19 and Brexit and the fact that it poses significant challenges to businesses for the year 2021. There were, however, some positive aspects to this report, in that 28% of their businesses intend to hire more staff next year and 49% of their businesses intend to increase wages. There is some positivity and light at the end of the tunnel here. The impact of this on business is also an issue that the Minister with responsibility for trade might wish to come before the House to discuss.

I also wish to highlight and discuss the point that today is day one of the new restrictions under level 5. This House will discuss and debate today and tomorrow additional legislation in respect of penalties, rent and protections for those living in rental accommodation. It is a difficult time for the country and I am concerned about the impact on the mental health of citizens for these six weeks. One thing I will say is that we have learned from the last lockdown and we have made some changes. The social bubble proposed is a very positive measure for this period, in that we recognise that some people who live alone will need to meet up with other households. We are asking people to limit that to one other household and to have that social bubble. The fact that the schools are remaining open is also a very positive impact. Six weeks of these restrictions is difficult but I hope that at the end of the period, we can reopen. The question being asked is whether we can be sure that six weeks will be enough. When I listened to Dr. Tony Holohan, he stated his belief that if we do the right thing and follow the guidelines of these six weeks, the time they have set aside is sufficient to flatten the curve and reopen the country in time for Christmas. That is what we must be looking forward to.

The legislation this House will debate today and tomorrow is emergency legislation to protect our citizens and to ensure that we can get through the next six weeks. I look forward to debating those items with colleagues over the next couple of days and I thank the Cathaoirleach.