Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Like every Senator - I have been listening to debates from my office before I came into the Chamber - I want to welcome the restrictions being removed as much as they were. It probably caught everybody a little by surprise, but it was very positive.There was a great mood around all of our towns, villages and cities in the past couple of days. We will remember those we have lost and those who suffered significantly in terms of illness and their businesses being impacted. I support the calls by other Senators that we support all of those businesses that were really badly affected during the pandemic, including the restaurants, pubs, play facilities and the arts, entertainment and tourism industries generally.

Similar to Senator Currie, I think that some small benefits have arisen out of the Covid-19 pandemic, including the move from cash to card payments, which was happening anyway but which happened much more quickly. All of a sudden, we realised that things we never thought we would be able to do remotely we were able to do. There are thousands of people no longer getting into their cars at 7 a.m. to travel to the office for 9 a.m., while others who live in particular locations and do not have access to good public transport are no longer stressed about having to get up early in order to get somewhere in order to access public transport.

We need to have a proper debate. Many employers appreciate the benefits they are getting from their employees and the employees realise that their work-life balance is better. Employees are more productive, they have a better work-life balance and they are able to look after their children in a different way than they were doing before the pandemic. We need a debate so that we might ensure that all of those benefits are acknowledged and that employers appreciate that in order to retain talent, they need to keep employees happy.

I welcome the reopening of this House. Some Senators were never in this House prior to the introduction of Covid-19 restrictions. I hope they enjoy the easing of restrictions here and that we can soon invite former Members and councillors to visit to the House again. This is the people's House. The sooner those restrictions can be lifted, the better.