Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Today is a very important day because the Government's national economic recovery plan has been published. It should be a good day. Yet, people woke up this morning to hear that a key plank of the plan is a phased cut to the PUP starting from next September. Thankfully, there will be thousands more people back to work by this September. Thousands more will face a very long and bleak winter.

Last week I spoke about the reopening of hospitality and shops last December and the 97,000 people aged between 15 and 24 who were still out of work. There was no going back to normal for them. There is no going back to normal in the aviation, retail, leisure and arts sectors. In retail we are seeing a profound transformation in the way people shop. It will take years for the aviation sector to recover. Those working in the arts will have missed the critical summer boom period and are facing into a bleak winter.

They are being told that the payments they have been surviving on and clinging on to for dear life, while managing pay to pay mortgages, rent and other bills, now has to be cut this September. I have no doubt that the announcement in the national economic plan today will be designed to dazzle. In truth, it will depend on trickle-down economics and a hope that at some stage over the coming months it will reach those most affected. That is not good enough because we will not have in place bridging income for those trying to pay rent, mortgages or their way through college. Last week members of IALPA stood outside the convention centre to tell us about their frustrations for the aviation sector. How can any of us look them in the eye and say that the PUP needs to be cut in September?

A number of months ago I spoke about Gaelcholáiste Mhuire in Parnell Square, Dublin 1. It has been in temporary accommodation for the past 17 years. Last November I and a number of my colleagues in the constituency raised this issue. We were given commitments by the Minister and Government Deputies and Senators in the constituency that construction of the school would commence by September this year. Seven months on, there has been no progress. I ask the Leader to write to the Minister for Education to plead with her to expedite this construction process. We cannot have pupils in classrooms that are simply unfit for purpose. Teachers are doing an amazing job, but it is not on that pupils and families have to wait any longer.