Mattie McGrath: Warns small firms face crisis from COVID and Brexit
Mattie McGrath spoke about the impact of COVID and Brexit on small businesses and the tourism industry and expressed support for amendments tabled by other deputies. He warned that uncertainty and insufficient fiscal measures are harming small firms and taking a toll on people's mental health.
Support for amendment
He backed Deputy Nocturne and others who put down "this very, very necessary and quite, you know, deliberate amendment," saying he echoed their call for action and would support the proposals being pushed.
Small businesses and tourism under strain
He described a "severe crisis" that has inflicted pain and suffering on small businesses across the country and in Northern Ireland, and said he was concerned about the tourism industry, the products and the people.
Uncertainty from Brexit and COVID
He criticised the late timing of debate on these issues and warned that uncertainty from Brexit, coupled with the pandemic and the prospect of further lockdowns, is exacerbating economic distress and business insecurity.
Fiscal and historical remarks
He said the exchequer is "getting fairly read leaned out at the moment" and suggested current supports are helping but are not enough to sustain small business people. He also made historical remarks about neglect going back a century when referring to "Coopark."
Mental health impact and public mood
He warned that anxiety is affecting mental health, saying people are "driven, demented, literally demented," that mental health figures are hard to obtain, and that many are despondent about family futures, education and businesses during long winter nights.
Call for timely debate and action
He argued these topics should have been debated earlier rather than at the last minute and reiterated his support for advancing the amendments to provide clearer direction and relief.
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Let me, because I was indicated earlier on when I had to go to the business meeting. Look, I'm not going to delay it either, but to support Deputy Nocturne and the others who put down this very, very necessary and quite, you know, deliberate amendment. And it is alarming, you know, especially this time of severe crisis that's happening and the pain and suffering that's been inflicted on all small businesses, right into the country and Northern Ireland as well. And the uncertainty, and I listen to Deputy Civelli, like two years, we should be debating these issues, not in the last hour of the last, you know, month, second last month, nearly last month of the whole situation of the, of the, of the, approaching the 31st of December. So I too, I'm concerned about the tourism industry. I'm concerned about the products and the people and the vet. And it's, and to, to, to, to, to echo what Deputy Nocturne said as well. So the only territory, we're worried about the Chancellor of the Czechos. They didn't think much about us when they came into Coopark last Sunday, a hundred years ago. They didn't think, think about much about the Irish when we had all the penal laws and though we have some of them back again now. But so we have our own independence and it's, it's our exchequer, we should worry about. And that's getting fairly read leaned out at the moment, but even though it is, it's not helping, it's helping certainly, but it's not enough to sustain the small business people. And the uncertainty now that they have, uh, with this, with Brexit, uh, coupled with the uncertainty of COVID and the Tarnas used to be talking about more lockdowns next year, people are driven, demented, literally demented. And, you know, I think definitely make the manager this morning was questioning about the mental, mental health figures. We can't get the figures and we know ourself, our own mental health is suffering because we're so much queries about it and so much hassle about it and so much people are so, you know, despondent. And this time of year as well, it's refreshing today to go out and refreshing a lovely, bright day, but in dark gloomy days and long nights, people are so concerned with the families, the future of their education, the future of their businesses. So I'm supporting the, the, the, the amendments as well to be, to be pushed to this. Thank you very much.
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