Pat Casey (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The core elements of section 2 are the two key pillars that have sustained businesses and kept them going over the Covid-19 period. I refer to the employment wage subsidy scheme, EWSS, and its predecessor, the wage subsidy scheme; and to the Covid restrictions support scheme, CRSS.I have some reservations about the end date of the EWSS in the particular context of my industry, which is solely reliant on seasonal business. Most of our business is done in the summer months of June, July and August and that has already been curtailed this year even more than last year. When we move into the off season, which is September, October and November, we will be waiting until the industry takes off again next year. Therefore, the loss of the EWSS on 31 December needs to be looked at again, if possible. The Minister of State talks about not having a cliff edge, but this is a cliff edge because the scheme comes to a sudden and abrupt end at the worst possible time for the hospitality sector, which is the month of January when things are at their hardest and business is at its lowest ebb. We need to see if there is any way the Minister of State can look at amending that or taking us off the payment gradually rather than having a cliff edge.

In fairness to the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, it is reduced in three stages over three periods. From an industry point of view, we need the Minister of State to look at this issue, specifically the EWSS. To give credit to the Government, businesses would not have survived this pandemic without the EWSS or the CRSS. I ask the Minister of State to come back to me or give some consideration to my proposal.