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Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said the cuts to pandemic unemployment pay rates are wrong and does not accept the Finance Minister’s reasons for doing so.
Earlier this week, Paschal Donohoe said the reasoning behind the cuts was so the PUP could last longer for more people.
Speaking on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics, McDonald described the move as “unfair and incorrect” at a time when substantial parts of the economy are still in a shutdown.
She said: “For my part, I think it is unfair, and I think it is wrong to cut that payment at a time when substantial parts of the economy are still completely locked in and other parts of the economy are struggling for limited capacity.
“So for me at the moment, the government has to be driven by two things, justice and common sense, and where I see an absence of those things, of course I have to point it out.”
Ms. McDonald said that the Government should be guided by two things, common sense and justice. She said that where you see an absence of that, you should call it.
SF leader @MaryLouMcDonald talks about his exchanges with the Taoiseach in the Dáil during the week. She says cutting the puppy is unfair and wrong. #artpolitics #rtetwip pic.twitter.com/NIuq9WaX5m
– The week of politics (@rtetwip) September 27, 2020
He said that the very reason for extending and maintaining the PUP lies in the fact that the country is still in the middle of the crisis, adding that there are entire sectors that are not working yet and do not know when they will be. .
He said the smart thing to do was to support those workers and said that Mr. Donohoe needs to change positions.
On reports that the PUP could be cut for students, he said he would keep it active, saying that taking it away from students would be “morally wrong.”
He said he did not believe that any reasonable person could argue that anyone who lost their job due to the pandemic could receive financial support.
On the budget, he said that no matter who was in government, the country would run a deficit, adding that in Sinn Féin’s alternative budget the deficit figure would be roughly the same, although his approach would be different.
She said the government should have approached the banks in terms of mortgage relief extensions, saying that she was going to be late to meet with the banks tomorrow, and that the payment breaks no longer exist since Wednesday.
She said other countries have granted longer extensions to such mortgage breaks, which could happen here to give people a break.
When asked if he believed the government had the power to close businesses that violate Covid-19 rules, he said there is a problem that Covid-19 is a notifiable disease, which must change.
He said it was not about creating a hardship for businesses, but about protecting human health and well-being, and the economy.
McDonald said the country needs a “very ambitious and well-resourced” test-and-trace system that would allow us to flatten the curve and make it easier for people to get back to work.
He said the government must be able to deliver the capacity of 100,000 tests per week and also clarify its overall strategy, to the extent that it is purely reactive.
SF leader @MaryLouMcDonald says there is a need for an ambitious and well-sourced trace / test system. She says this will allow us to flatten the curve and keep people in schools / work. She says that the 100,000 tests that were promised must be turned in. #rtetwip #rtpolitical pic.twitter.com/ENYVh5TrBP
– The week of politics (@rtetwip) September 27, 2020
Ms. McDonald said six months ago, we knew there was a problem with the PPE and test reagents, and after all this time, the question now was how much ground had recovered before winter.
He said it is not a matter of political dispute and it was an agreed matter that testing and tracing is at the core of the country’s approach to fighting the virus, which should be an all-island approach.
He said that the Northern Ireland Executive must also be active in this regard to keep people safe.
When asked if there would be a crisis in Northern Ireland if charges were brought against Michelle O’Neill or any other party figure who attended Bobby Storey’s funeral, McDonald said the PSNI will terminate its business and declined to comment. .
On the issue of junior ministers having advisers, McDonald said having advisers was reasonable, but the number of advisers for junior government ministers was excessive.
He said that if his party were in government, the only people who would have advisers would be the ones who needed them.
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