Mattie McGrath urges unity over Health Emergency Bill 2020

Good morning, I want to thank yourself for convening the House here today and your staff and indeed the Business Committee and also the Minister who is here today and indeed the Minister for Health and I thank the Taoiseach for the briefings that they have given us over the last number of weeks. We're in uncharted waters and the Health Emergency Bill 2020 try to reflect some of that. Where would we be only for our volunteers? Where would we be only for our magnificent people in the front line? Our health services? Our doctors? Our nurses? I called them before, angels of mercy and indeed our general practitioners and indeed our general practitioners and civil defence of course and the Red Cross and all the volunteer organisations that have stepped up to the plate overwhelmingly in the last number of days really, in the last 10 days and the neighbours, the mill was a great Irish word and a sense of gathering and support each other. People are proving that sense of my health and the sense of helping each other and we're young and old, from the cradle to the grave, are being cared for and looked after. We have had time to learn from other countries. Thankfully that we had that 14 day running period where some of them had made mistakes. The man who never made a mistake never made nothing. So we're able to learn from many of the mistakes they made. Obviously there are worries about our nearest neighbours in England and Northern Ireland and we have to deal with that as well. I know it's a political situation and it's difficult but I want to salute, as I said, all the people out there that are on the front line. I want to ask and plead with the public, and I know they are, and I thank the teacher for his address on St. Patrick's night, La Féile a Breda, Na Féile a Breda and indeed thank him for that and he hit the right note and struck a chord, to ask the people to express this, take this very, very seriously. Because it is a serious situation and it's unprecedented and I think we can, if we do the right things and adhere to the requests that we may not need this legislation, but it's been put in, I feel, as, you know, an issue of last resort if it's needed. It has to be, it will have to be implemented. But I have faith in the Irish people. They are a resilient race. They have fought and fought off recessions and they have went all over the world and championed, many of them religious, championing the causes of third world countries, after different outbreaks of war, after different outbreaks of genocide and good knows what. And now many of them want to return and are returning. And the 24,000 people who have offered to return to the HSE in different capacities, I salute them. People who are retired, people themselves should be looking after their families, but have decided to give up. And I thank the people as well who are offering to look after the children, the childcare needs of some of the frontline workers. Very important, because divided we stand and together we will succeed. I mean after the call to Kayla, as I said. This legislation provides for changes to remove a waiting period for payment of job seekers and benefits for those who are self-implied. It is vital, because we must look after the workforce to ensure that they have a meagre amount to keep food on the table and keep their bills paid and keep the ship afloat. As I said previously, I thank the former Deputy Doherty Acting Minister for the measures she has taken there. But there are areas that need further clarification. The 203 payment, a euro payment, and it's expected that the employers, where they can, will pay that in the initial and will get it back. But I was listening to a very good question and answer on Sean O'Rourke on the way up here this morning. And a lady from social welfare was very good. If somebody wants to top up that, they will disbar the person from getting the allowance. So we need to have, where employers can't pay the 203, but they get the 203 from social welfare. And the employer, out of generosity, they have spirit. And that's how most employers treat their workers. And the workers reciprocate always. And that's how we go forward in this country. It's such a thriving country in many ways. That they wouldn't be penalised for giving some top up, for giving some aids and assistance. As I said, the government, the changes involved significant exchequer costs. We were briefed about that last Monday week. And indeed, we all, groups and parties, adhered to it and accepted it. As I said, in addition to providing the powers, in relation to COVID-19, we're a medical officer. And this is very important in this legislation. And this is where I want to see a sunset clause. Because the medical officers will have the powers of direction, not on Ghanoushey Corner. Assisted, I understand, by Ghanoushey Corner, of course. But we have to have reasonable actions taken there. And those may be able to suitably qualify, and I know they will. We hope the necessity won't arise. But we have to have a situation where there is a sunset clause. And where there are some appeals. And where, if this has been extended, that this door will have to sit again. I understand the difficulties of logistics and that. And we discussed that this morning in our business committee with Duke Count Cola. But we have to have proper recognising of our constitution. And proper sittings of the House to make those changes. As I said, there are many areas here that relate to, and there are 81 or 2 amendments. Hopefully some will be accepted. Some won't be, obviously. But we're all in this together. I speak here on behalf of the Rural Independence. I speak as a talk to Dolly as the Dean of Tipper Dorn. And I'm privileged to have that role here today. And I want to say that Tipperary people won't be found wanting. The old adage that still stands for Tipperary leads, Ireland follows. We've never been found wanting. And we will support, and we will be constructive in our support. But we will have to raise issues if there are issues arising of abuse of powers. I don't expect there will be, but in case there is. But I want to send one message out to people who don't want to conform. That at this particular time, if the section in the bill, section 38A, I think where it refers to people that have to be directed or areas of, you know, restricted areas. People to obey them. If they don't obey them, they will have to be instructed to obey them. And that's why the law is necessary. And I think that we must show the respect, the proper respect to our health care workers that need it, that are on the front line. By not, as we saw with the hijinks in Temple Bayer, with the hijinks in many other institutions up and down the country, including my own county. I challenged the people in Dolly that were in Cheltenham to self-isolate and not come into this house. And we thought that was really reckless. And the housing industry might be all-powerful, but they must be asked to respect this here as well. This is too serious an issue. And we can't have any protected species from this. I also want to mention the courts. I want to see a moratorium on the courts. I want to see the mortgage lenders brought in, as well as the banks. Lovely to have the top five banks. But we need the mortgage lenders. We need people who are paying mortgages to be protected. But we also need the 250 vulture funds, who are unwelcome, unlike Deputy Michael Noonan said at one time in our country, to be put on stand-down and stood up and a hall put to their gallop during this crisis. And at all times for that matter, but during this crisis especially. We need the courts where our repositions are going on to be stopped and to be stood down as well for the temporary duration. And we need certainly to ensure that money lenders don't become supreme. We must thank the Community Welfare Officers and the Social Welfare Department, and indeed the Staffing Department of Foreign Affairs and other organisations that we've been in touch with, that have tried to help. But we must deal with the insurance company. Again, we've failed with the last 20 years to put any manners on, they're making huge profits. They are refusing at the moment, they say it's not one of the listed items, a pandemic. Did you ever hear the debate of it, that a pandemic would be ruled out as a reason for trying to, not get rich from insurance companies, but to try to make a claim to support your family, to support your business, so that we will have businesses to take up the slack when this passes. And this will pass. Because with the help of our frontline workers, with the help of the Gardner Sheikana, with the help of all the agencies of the state, and the people supporting them, because the nation cannot support any police force without people. This time our nation and our public services cannot support ourselves without the support of every man, woman and child, and to obey the requests and to do what we can to help each other, to do what we can to slow down this outbreak. And I want to thank, as I said, I didn't mention the clergy as well, for the work that they are doing this time, trying to administer to sick people, and in these sad times, funerals and everything else as well. So, Ciancola, I believe that this legislation is necessary, and we in the Rural Independence will be supporting it, but we will be quick enough to respond if there are issues of overreach, and we need to come back to this House whenever this has to be extended to vote through again. Thank you very much, Deputy. Now, we... Thank you very much, Deputy Now we... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...