Danny Healy-Rae Demands Pubs Reopen, VAT Cut and Fair Deal Fix
Danny Healy-Rae spoke in the Dáil about reopening pubs, VAT relief for hotels, extending supports for workers and reforming the Fair Deal scheme. He argued pubs should be treated the same as restaurants, called for hotel VAT to be cut to 5%, and urged more help for transport workers, seasonal workers and farmers.
Calls to reopen pubs
The speaker, who declared himself a small rural publican, challenged the Taoiseach's comments about whether pubs could reopen on 20 July and asked why having a meal in a pub should be treated differently from having a meal before attending a pub. He said pubs are regulated, provide a vital service to rural communities and that keeping many venues closed will push crowds into the few places that are open, which he said does not help the coronavirus response.
Demand for VAT cut on hotels and tourism support
He called for the VAT rate on hotels to be reduced to 5% to support the tourism industry, saying hotels and tourism businesses are "on their knees." He reminded colleagues that a former minister had previously raised the VAT rate from 9% to 13.5% and said a larger reduction is needed now to help those sectors recover.
Support for transport workers and wage subsidy extension
He warned that bus operators, drivers, taxi drivers and taxi owners are struggling and that some are reluctant to leave the €350 payment for fear they cannot re-enter it. He asked for the temporary wage subsidy to be extended and for it to cover people who were not working earlier in the year, including seasonal workers and farmers who need support while they try to resume activity.
Fair Deal scheme and farmers' assets
The speaker said the new minister for agriculture has apologised and that his personal case should be closed so attention can focus on policy. He called on the minister to ensure the value of the farm is disregarded under the Fair Deal scheme and that only the residential house be considered, arguing the current rules and the proposed bill are unfair to farmers and leave them exposed to substantial charges.
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Thank you very much, very far away, but I'm still here anyway. First of all, I want to congratulate Minister English in his new post and I wish him well. I had a lot of interaction with him when he was in housing, so I hope we'll continue positively on behalf of the people that we're representing. I suppose, first of all, I have to declare that I am a publican, a small publican in a small rural village, and I suppose publicans right around the county of Kerry and indeed the country-wide are very concerned about comments made by the new Taoiseach, Michal Martin, wondering if pubs were going to be allowed to open even on the 20th of July. So, in that vein, I want to ask the Minister here, what difference is in somebody having a meal and can have a point in a restaurant, and someone that comes after having his meal and can only afford the price of two or three points and can't get in anywhere for a point? That doesn't make sense to me. Pubs should be open now, the very same as restaurants come pubs, because they're regulated, they have been regulated at the last, and they always have been regulated, and they have, over the years, provided a massive service for communities, and especially rural communities, but now, sadly, they're closed, and it's in doubt whether they will open or not. So, I'm asking, what difference is it to have the meal in the pub, or to have it before you come to the pub? It shouldn't be any difference. And it only makes sense, we see that there was crowds in Dublin, where there's a lot of restaurants and urban areas, where there was crowds, and they were queuing up to get in. So, we know, when only half the places are open, that more people will go to the places that are open, when they can't go to the places that are closed. So, it makes sense with what they're doing, what they're doing doesn't help the coronavirus one iota. Excuse me. I want to talk about the VAT rate for hotels, and the tourism industry, they have been calling for a reduction for many weeks and months now. And the former minister Griffin has said that there should be no problem in reducing it down, but he didn't do it. And I have to remind him that he was the person involved, he was the minister involved, that raised it from 9 to 13 and a half. And I'm calling for it to be reduced down to 5 now at least, to help these people who are on their knees. Bus operators, drivers, taxi drivers, and taxi owners, they're on their knees, minister, and we need to give them help. And if they're, some of them are afraid to go off the payment, the 350 payment, because if they're trying and failing, it is very doubtful whether they'll succeed or not, they can't get back on the payment in. Something needs to be done for the people who will try. The temporary wage subsidy. I'm asking to extend that, to include people that weren't working, seasonal workers who weren't working in January or February. Farmers. And I have to mention our new minister, Barry Cohn. And I feel his case should be closed now, because he paid the price, he paid the penalty, he has said he is sorry. What I'm more interested in now is what he will do as minister for agriculture, and how he will deal with all the issues. And there is one issue that we must deal with, and that is the fair deal scheme for farmers. Because it is not fair now, and even with the bill that's proposed, that's not adequate enough. And I'm asking minister Kohn to ensure that the value of the farm is disregarded, and only apply to the residential house on the land, as is the case for everyone else around the country. The value of the farm should be disregarded, how could a young fellow, that would, will say, value, his farm be valued even at just 400,000. If he is going to have to pay the three-year cap on the farm, he could amount to 80,000 euros and 400,000. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
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