Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I endorse everything Senator Conway said on the Doolin coast guard. It is high time we addressed the issue of terms and conditions and ensure people are properly recognised for the amazing work they do. The issue I will raise this morning is that of the proposed public holiday, which all of us think is a welcome recognition for the incredible work that not only our front-line workers but the entire country has undertaken to face the challenge of the Covid pandemic. I am concerned by reports it may be a one-off. Let us be clear that Ireland is bottom of the table when it comes to public holidays. We are four days behind countries such as Portugal, Poland, Sweden and Austria and three days behind Germany and Greece. Why on earth would we introduce a bank holiday as a once-off just for next year?

We should all agree we want to build back better after the pandemic and give people a better work-life balance. A number of us have spoken about that in terms of the right to disconnect and work from home. We need a clear signal from the Government that this public holiday will be a permanent addition.

I invite the Deputy Leader to endorse that call for a permanent public holiday and not a once-off one next year. People have worked to keep this country going, not just in the past couple of years, but the past decade. We have come through a hell of a decade and working people have brought us through it, in particular. The least we can do is take a significant step towards a European model of better work-life balance. The idea that this bank holiday next year will be a once-off is entirely unacceptable to me or trade union movements and Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael should be clear it needs to be a permanent addition. If we need a debate on it, let us have that debate.