Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Aire as a bheith ina seanmháthair. I congratulate the Minister on becoming a grandmother. It is a wonderful day for her and her family and I join the Leas-Chathaoirleach in congratulating them on the birth of Arthur Humphreys Egan. The name sounds wonderful and I hope that he may be a Member of this House in future years.

Two years ago, our unemployment rate stood at 4.8%. That was the monthly unemployment rate for December 2019, with 119,000 citizens unemployed.Today, because of Covid-19, that is a different perspective in the world but it underlines the importance of the then Government and the way in which it rebuilt our country. The political centre must hold now in rebuilding the lives of our people in a post-Covid world.

The figures provided by the Minister illustrate the starkness of life for many people today. This week, 408,000 people received the pandemic unemployment payment at a cost of €144 million. Since last March, the Government has spent €10 billion in response to this crisis. The vast majority of those people never wanted to be on a social welfare payment or where they are today. It is the job of government and all of us to ensure we protect the lives and livelihoods of the people we serve.

I commend the Minister and her officials on the work they have been doing at the coalface of this pandemic. I know from talking to people in Cork, where I come from, that the staff of the Department of Social Protection deserve tribute and thanks for their courtesy and efficiency and the manner in which they interact with and assist people. It is equally important that we pay tribute to our pharmacists, who I accept come within the remit of a different Department. I know from talking to many people who engage with pharmacists and pharmacies that the support, understanding and patience they are receiving is phenomenal. I pay tribute to the pharmacists and the officials of the Department of Social Protection.

The 408,731 people supported on the PUP are not a statistic; they are citizens of our Republic. Each one of them has a story in regard to the reason he or she is in receipt of the payment or in need of help. All of us in this House can recount stories of people who have been seriously affected by this. This debate centres on the role of the Department of Social Protection, the aim of which is to protect lives and livelihoods. In the post-Covid analysis, the role of that Department in providing that scaffolding and support will be seen as having been central to the Government's interventions.

The increasing presence of the virus in our communities is adding to the number of people in need of government help and aid. As members of the Joint Committee on Transport, Senator Dooley and I have had email, telephone and Zoom interactions with people who are working in the travel and aviation sector. In November, the Government provided an €80 million support package to the aviation sector, announced by the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, but it is important to recognise that this money is primarily for infrastructural work at our airports and in support of our aviation sector. The Government needs to look at providing support for the men and women who work in our aviation sector. They are a casualty of Covid-19 as well. In light of the Government's decision regarding travel, the people who work in our airports and airlines need to be recognised, acknowledged and supported further. There is a window of opportunity for the Government to ensure they are supported.

I was struck by the announcements of the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris. I warmly welcome the comments in the House today by the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, in regard to higher and further education and the need for the Departments of Social Protection and Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to work together. It is imperative that government and all of us promote apprenticeships and that we provide new pathways to work.Similar to what happened in other decades, we should provide this new pathway to people and afford them the opportunity to retrain and reskill and perhaps pursue a different career choice or opportunity.

The issue of working from home, which I know is not necessarily part of the Minister's Department, is one that has been especially highlighted by Senator Currie. Many of us, however, have received queries about this issue. Even though it is not in my constituency, the Little Island Business Association made representations to me about remote working hubs. I hope we will be able to progress further the ability of people to be able to work from home. Having said that, working from home is obviously not a panacea for everybody and we need people back in the workplace and interacting on a human level as well.

Another issue, articulated by the Leader, Senator Doherty, concerns the matter of additional supports needed for business people not covered by the Covid restrictions support scheme, CRSS. As the Minister knows, businesses have made claims for the payment of about €239 million to ensure they survive in this difficult time. I hope we can have that anomaly addressed as well.

The Department the Minister leads has been one which has wrapped itself around people, as it were. People accept that there is now a challenge for all of us to suppress the virus and to ensure we emerge stronger from this pandemic. The Minister referred to the stark figure of €10 billion having been spent on people during this pandemic since last March by the Government. The people we are talking about today are citizens of our Republic who have many stories behind their lives. Our job is to advocate for, represent and support them, and to ensure they have a pathway to work in the post-Covid-19 world to become active again in our society.