Danny Healy-Rae: Demands grants for rural workers, pubs and culture
Danny Healy-Rae addressed the minister about the impact of the pandemic on seasonal workers, publicans, musicians, farmers, fishermen and rural businesses and called for targeted grants rather than loans. He argued banks, scheme rules and timing have left many workers and small businesses excluded and urged immediate action to retain jobs.
Calls for targeted support for seasonal workers
He highlighted seasonal hotel staff, bus drivers and other tourism workers who missed the corona payment of 350 because they were not working the week of 6 to 13 March. He said many have lost their stamps, cannot get jobseeker's benefit and have been left behind by current supports.
Problems with wage subsidy eligibility
He criticised the wage subsidy scheme rules that require people to have been working in January and February, saying employers who called staff back are finding those workers ineligible. He also warned that where workers did reduced hours earlier in the year, the subsidy is limited to those lower hours, leaving many unpaid or under-supported.
Publicans and older workers facing hardship
He recounted a caller from Donegal whose daughter, who runs a pub, turned 66 in April and is now reliant on an old age pension while facing outstanding utility and business bills. He pressed the minister that over-66s who employed staff should have been considered for the corona payment of 350 and argued for grants instead of further loans for pubs.
Cultural workers and tourist attractions at risk
He warned that musicians, singers and community groups who used to fundraise and travel have been forgotten and need funding to preserve local culture, mentioning Shem Satir in Tralee as an example. He appealed for the reopening of local attractions such as Schelling Meuthel and highlighted insurance premiums for boatmen as a specific barrier to restarting tourism services in South Kerry.
Banks, insurance and the outlook for next year
He said he was doubtful about bank-led distribution of support, arguing banks 'give you money if you don't need it' but not when you do. He warned many businesses may survive this year but face serious trouble next year and urged the minister and the new government to act now to retain traditional jobs in businesses, farming and fishing.
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Thank you very much. Follow that. I am glad to get the opportunity, Minister, and wish you well in your new portfolio. I have a problem too, grateful for the trust of it, but I am saying, as well as Matty has said, I am doubtful about it, because when the banks are the distributors, I was told before that the banks give you money if you don't need it, and if we have a good credit rating, but if we need money, the banks won't give it to you, and that is the truth of the matter, Minister, and you see, we have a lot of specific problems in Kerry in relation to seasonal workers, hotel workers, bus drivers, and those kind of people, because take the corona payment, that payment of 350, many, many seasonal workers that worked in hotels, and worked in, that drive buses, and all involved in the tourism industry, they didn't get the corona payment, and they, because they weren't working the week from the 6th to the 13th of March, and if the lockdown didn't come for another fat net, all of them would have been working. Now the story about them is, their stamps are gone, their stamps are gone down, and they won't get job seekers, and that's the honest truth of it, and on top of that though, the wage subsidy scheme, many of them won't qualify for that either, because the guidelines for that is, you had to be working in January and February, so the hotels that called them people back, now, they are not entitled to the wage subsidy scheme, and they are not entitled to the wage subsidy scheme, and they are caught as well, and I am asking you to deal with that, and also, if you worked a lesser week of hours, which some people did in January and February, the employers can only get the wage subsidy on that same amount of hours now, I want you to address that. They didn't do over 66, many of those people, many of those people, that are a field, that have been left behind, they employed people, they were people like the publicans, and one woman rang me all the way from Donegal, when the pubs weren't allowed to open, last weekend, and I said when her daughter run a pub, in April she became 66, and she has a lot of commitments, and she has a lot of outstanding bills to pay, like a lot of other publicans, many of them are older, and all they are getting is their old age pension, and that's not sufficient to pay those outstanding bills, the utility bills, whether it is water, whether it is, there is extra electricity, there is different things that accrue, and those people were employing people, the more over 66, should have at least been brought up, as far as the corona payment, which was 350. So, then, there are several other things, like businesses, and farmers, and fishermen. I am asking you to ensure that these people, we are talking about creating jobs, there is a lot to talk about that, but we should try to retain the jobs that we have. The jobs that we had, that we traditionally had, and that traditionally worked. We need to help businesses, farmers, and fishermen. And then there has been a total core of people have been forgotten. Musicians, who used to play around the county and the country, and were paid for it, they have been left behind. Singers, take the likes of Shem Satir and Tralee, the wonderful work that they did promoting youngsters as they became 15, 16, and 17, and 18, and they took them all around the world, and got them going, and got them recognised back over the years, Minister. They have their clothes down, they can't do anything, and that's an awful loss. They need funding. They can't fundraise. You know that fundraising, for all those groups that do so much work, they can't fundraise. I'm asking you to examine that because, on top of everything else that this pandemic has done to people, we don't want to lose our culture. We don't want to lose what centuries of people brought to us and wanted us to carry on into the future. We have to recognise that. I spoke about Schelling Meuthel here earlier this evening, and we're appealing to your Minister to open up that place. And there is one part of the problem when getting it reopened is the cost of the insurance for the boatmen. Because when they were charged for the insurance, they could spread it out over so many, a longer period of time. Now that time. Now that time is practically halved. That's the way it does open. And they'll be liable for a premium more than they can afford. I'm asking you to help people like the Minister. And you see, it's very important when you think of that, just that one place, the effect that would have in all of South Kerry. And the spin-off that that would create, if we could even get it going at a slower pace, it would get it open and get it back. There's places like the National Park in Killarney, the traditional farmhouse venture has been closed down, but there's a lot more there. And they are struggling because they remained open during the lockdown and it cost them a lot more. And they haven't been remunerated. And it's likely that that place will be in serious trouble. We'll weather a lot of things this year, Minister. But next year is the trouble. And we're looking to you and your new government to do something to help retain the jobs and the businesses that we had, because we'll be in trouble next year. A lot of them places will be in trouble next year, Minister. And I don't think that the banks are the people to save our businesses. And I'm appealing to you now, especially, Minister, about the problems. What has happened is totally, totally unfair. Like I said last week, how does the virus know that you'll eat your meal while you're drinking a pint? And it's totally, absolutely ridiculous. But seeing as he kept them closed, he must do something about giving them money, a grant, not a loan. They have enough loans and enough things to pay off. But I'm asking to see after those publicans in rural Ireland. Because if you don't, some of them will never again reopen, Minister. And I actually, I mean that. Thank you very much.
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