Mattie McGrath Criticises Stimulus, Pensions and Music Industry Impact

I am delighted to speak today and welcome the opportunity to speak in this financial provision COVID-19. I welcome many of the measures within the July stimulus package but unfortunately it quite simply does not go far enough in many many areas and you know it is all the hallmarks of a departmental document without an understanding of what makes people in rural Ireland and not over Ireland, over Ireland actually tick, the stay and spend the incentives, the purpose of which is to incentivise the taxpayers to support registered providers of accommodation and food during the off-peak season, thus providing support for an industry that has been devastated with COVID-19, while certainly well-intentioned, have concerns. From an industry point of view, while you know any increase in consumer demands is welcome, the scheme is likely to bring about a huge increase in administration and the self-implied people are just weary and overburdened and overburdened from administration and they probably had a break with the COVID-19 from administration but they hadn't a break from anything else and the problem was of split receipts etc so that everyone can claim their own portion of the total bill. At a time when there was already reduced capacity and increased you know cleaning and hygiene requirements, many in the industry have warned about this and this is a nonsensical kind of a set up. There are also huge disappointments that the government decided not to reduce the fat rate further. I mean it's minuscule and the fat is a simple way of allowing people to spend because it's added that value-added tax as well as it is and it was a missed opportunity. From a consumer point of view, Cade Lulci, I think it's the first time I've addressed the Minister so I want to wish him very well in this role and I know I talked to Mr McGrath was there, Mr McGrath, but I want to wish you well in your continuing role, Minister. Minister, but I will be forthright and object when I see things are just quite simply you don't get it, just don't get it, you don't get what makes people think, what allows people and the bureaucracy. From a consumer point of view, while the spend and stay initiative is again well intentioned to promote business in the off-peak season, the exclusion of pensioners who cannot benefit from this initiative is very disappointing. Because we all know in recent years the many associations, active retirement especially, they take trips to Killarney, they take trips to many hotels and they're a wonderful organisation for people that have retired. Should they, should have been looked after and that should have been seen. They go, there's a huge bend in it, they come to Dublin for days, they go for Wiggins to Killarney to Country Music and I come to the Country Music in a minute and they love it. And they love it, but they haven't been engaged either and they have been victimised right throughout this, the over 66ers, because and many of my working in jobs, they still can't claim any payments because they just get their pension. And if we hadn't had to top up even between a pension and a pub payment, that's all they wanted, they would have been recognised for the way they built this country, the way they built their families, they paid their taxes and paid their salaries, some of them were working for 40 years and maybe even more. And they should have got something. The music and entertainment I discussed it last night, look, an abject failure and the social welfare provisions didn't deal with it at all. They're of our being, they are our people, they are part of our heritage, our dukes and indeed our culture. They're adored and admired, but above all again, they are self-made people. They took the opportunity, many jobs maybe at different times and went out and go alone and set themselves up, first of all had the profession and had the trade and the skill set which is very important, then they had to become self-employed, get their van, get their equipment, very costly equipment and increase and enhance. Some of them were in the bigger bands then, and they had a whole entourage then of offset people, of sound engineers, of you know, every kind of set up, cost and everything else. They have been just wiped out. And they've been told by social welfare to get out of work elsewhere. And we're going to wipe away that part of our culture and our industry that's loved by people, by the ordinary people, the over 66ers and many of all ages from the cradle to the grave. It's an awful situation they've been left in. As I said, they're being discriminated in the pub payment too. And you won't have to do something there, Minister, because we're going to lose a whole part of our culture. Gone. Like snow up a ditch. It's more than two ways. It's an awful pity. And you can't seem to get it. But you don't understand government and the permanent government. Don't understand what makes people tick, how they want to live. An example of the music and entertainment sector, you know, is that the sector has been placed on a reduced rate of 200p per week as well. So that's not your area, but it's in your area when you hold the purse strings. The pubs are cocky in luck. It's a joke. If you have a sandwich in this hand, or a nine euro meal, you can get into a pub. The sandwich is supposed to prevent the COVID infection. It's a total fuss. And the pubs have been blackguarded. Again, they're pensioners in those ranks. Many of them, I know dozens of them, that are over 66 and older. And because they were, they couldn't get a payment. They were shut down by yourselves. And worse than that, they were told they'd be reopened last Monday week, and they weren't allowed. And the time length for the decision was too short and untimely, too short. Didn't get enough leading notice. They had to pay for their, they had to pay for their, their, their, their stocks and everything else. They've been dealt a huge body blow. And it's just ridiculous. And the employment wage subsidies as well. I mean, it's the whole area of the taxation, then claiming back. I welcome some of the, the, the issues that we can claim back tax and where the tax from last year. This year, you'll be right up against last year's tax. I welcome that. But again, they pay away worker. And I support them as well. They had a choice of opting for 19 income or 20, 20. The 7-ply didn't. They had to go on 19, or they could go on 18 to, to pay away. And there should be a fair balance for everybody. That's the way it should be. But no, a missed opportunity, the stimulus package, a missed opportunity. And our businesses are floundering. Our tourism industry, hospitality industry are floundering. And we have issues in like Cair Castle I raised today, and the famous Swiss cottage in Cair. And they're locked up OPW sites. Locked! Surely we can let the people into this environs and into the courtyard of our splendid castle. There are hundreds of people in Cair town last Sunday and Saturday. And every other Sunday. Come, it's a beautiful town. And the hotels and the shops, they want that football to stay. You see the gates down there and locked them, padlocks on them. The staff must be protected and be saved. Yes. But I'm talking about the courts, the open areas that are there. And the environs of those two buildings. They must be open. It's not fair to have them open in other sites. In our own county, Rock and Castle and elsewhere. And not in Cair. It's discrimination and it's not fair. Yes, Tommy Creechner. Good morning. Good morning. Thank you.