Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I really welcome the publication of the economic recovery plan later today. This is a very important development. Having met with various industry groups over the past couple of weeks, it is clear there is a shortage of people coming back into the workplace and in some instances, a reluctance to come back. We really need to recognise and highlight that staff shortage. It is appropriate that we have a tapering of supports, while at the same time having a watching brief over particular industries that will find it difficult to come back and re-emerge. A new environment is facing us in the next couple of months and some businesses will not open at all. It has gone too far during Covid-19 and we will need appropriate stimuli from Enterprise Ireland and through other mechanisms in that regard.

We also have businesses that have changed their business model to going completely and utterly online now. In that regard, we need to look at where businesses are closing on our high streets as a result of having moved completely to that online model. I highlighted to Tánaiste when he was in this House recently that we have, perhaps, a changing culture now in how people will go back to work and a movement towards remote working. We have had behavioural changes, some of which I really hope we will hold on to, such as the "shop local" trend. I very much welcome it.The Government is attuned to having a watching brief and being responsive. The Tánaiste echoed that point following my comments, and the Government does have a watching brief in respect of responding to behavioural changes. I ask, therefore, that we have statements on the economic recovery plan, which I believe the Leader will most likely bring about.