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Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty. Photocall Ireland

Advice against older grandparents caring for children 'unchanged' as workers return under Phase Two

Childcare facilities are not scheduled to reopen until 29 June.

THE MINISTER FOR Social Protection has said the advice that grandparents remove themselves from any childcare duties has not change despite the return of many retail outlets today. 

As part of Phase 2 of the government’s roadmap, most stores that have been closed since the end of March are now permitted to reopen.

This has led to concerns about retail workers with children because childcare facilities are not scheduled to reopen until 29 June.

Speaking over the weekend, Health Minister Simon Harris suggested that people will be relying on family and friends in the interim to give a such parents “a dig out”.

Asked about childcare on RTÉ’s Today with Sarah McInerney, Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty said it is not advised that such be provided by older grandparents. 

“I think the situation with regards to grandparents particularly I suppose depends on their age,” the minister said. 

In this country we have a long-standing arrangement of grannies and granddads looking after children or collecting them from school and it works effectively well. But a lot of those grandparents now are over the age where we have suggested to them that they should remove themselves from those kind of activities over the last couple of months and I don’t think that advice has changed.

Doherty said that “the State will continue to support” people who can’t return to work but added that she could not provide a guarantee that supports would continue until the point that older grandparents could care for children again. 

“I probably don’t have an answer to that insofar is that the scheme, the PUP scheme has been extended to Phase Five, which is currently the 10 August, the wage subsidy scheme will go a little bit longer,” Doherty said.

“I think the question to the answer you’re asking me would only be able to be answered if there was a vaccine to the virus. And I don’t expect that before 10 August.”

New normal

Doherty conceded that the current plan is “not perfect” and she said that that reopening the country was always going to be more difficult than introducing restrictions.

“I think obviously 29 June when our creches and all of our informal arrangements around childcare can restart again that will make a massive difference. But just to reassure people that if they can’t go back to work or don’t have arrangements that some couples would have had over the last 12 weeks, that the department will be still here to support them,” she said. 

Speaking on the same programme however, employment law solicitor Richard Grogan said that questions remain about whether an employee can be sure their job will remain if they cannot return to work due to childcare issues. 

Grogan said an employee’s rights are “very limited” in such instances: 

You’ve no right to continue to be paid because the employer has said ‘we’ve opened the workplace’. So you’re now effectively going into an unemployed payment situation because you’re no longer being laid off because you’re employer is saying you’re not laid off any longer. So you’re probably alright, if I can put it that way, until the 10 August but come 10 August when everything is back employers are going to be saying ‘you’re either coming back or you’re not coming back’. 

Sinn Féin has also criticised the government’s efforts on childcare with party leader Mary Lou McDonald TD stating that many workers will be forced to take leave because of their inability to organise childcare. 

“Parents are understandably anxious that the government are failing to provide childcare yet again, leaving many more families abruptly left in the lurch where they should be entitled to proper State support,” McDonald said. 

“We urgently need a scheme which meets the real needs of parents and properly engages with childcare providers across the sector to ensure plans are clear and viable. Parents and childcare workers deserve this clarity as a matter of urgency.” 

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    Mute John Flood
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    Jul 20th 2021, 10:14 PM

    Exciting technology but please don’t call these passengers “astronauts”!

    129
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    Mute Larry Betts
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    Jul 20th 2021, 10:23 PM

    @John Flood: Space cadets

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    Mute Sean Kirwan
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    Jul 20th 2021, 11:16 PM

    @John Flood: pretty sure anyone that leaves earth’s atmosphere is an astronaut.

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    Mute James Ward
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    Jul 21st 2021, 1:02 AM

    @Sean Kirwan: That’s what the discussion is about – both went above the original Karman line where aeronautics stop working (wing lift) and astronautics kick in (speed is needed), but way before a stable orbit. Like calling yourself an aeronaut because you took a flight to Spain, these guys were all exactly what passive human cargo always – passengers in an Astroplane/Rocket.

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    Mute William Tallon
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    Jul 20th 2021, 9:46 PM

    To the left of the ‘s’ and the right of the ‘e’?

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    Mute Larry Betts
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    Jul 20th 2021, 9:52 PM

    @William Tallon: orbit further than that

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    Mute William Tallon
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    Jul 20th 2021, 10:04 PM

    @Larry Betts: A pretty sharpish reply there! Your definitely keen on these puns. Sharp as well, sharper than a newly sharpened edge even…

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    Mute Larry Betts
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    Jul 20th 2021, 10:21 PM

    @William Tallon: Sharper than a sharpened talon I would suggest

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    Mute William Tallon
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    Jul 20th 2021, 10:31 PM

    @Larry Betts: They don’t come much sharper…

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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Jul 20th 2021, 10:35 PM

    @William Tallon: I can categorically state that no one on the journal is as sharp as Larry betts lol. Him excellent.

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    Mute Larry Betts
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    Jul 20th 2021, 10:37 PM

    @Paul Gorry: Thanks for your recommendation. PG tips are always welcome

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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Jul 20th 2021, 10:39 PM

    @Larry Betts: ye see this is what I mean! The proof is in the pudding ha ha.

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    Mute Mick Tobin
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    Jul 20th 2021, 11:14 PM

    Perhaps in order to reach space you need to risk burning up in the earth’s atmosphere in order to return, and if this is the case then neither Branson nor Bezos pulled it off, and likely it’s Elon Musk who’s biding his time, to eventually put people into a one-round orbit to claim the ultimate and perhaps only fair prize of the first real tourist space trip.

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    Mute Tony Gordon
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    Jul 20th 2021, 11:43 PM

    @Mick Tobin: and if an orbit is what’s required, then you’d have to rewrite the history books (Shepard and Glenn didn’t make it)

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    Mute John Considine
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    Jul 21st 2021, 12:14 AM

    @Mick Tobin: Mark my words, Musk intends to orbit the moon on his first flight. He won’t land or anything, that’s been sold to NASA for 2024, but I strongly suspect he’ll go up in one of the earlier orbital missions.

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    Mute Mick Tobin
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    Jul 21st 2021, 12:17 AM

    @Tony Gordon: Well maybe we can distinguish between different classes of astronauts, e.g. class N (Nasa 80km line – Brandon), class K (Karman 100km line – Bezos), and class O (completing at least one orbit).

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    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
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    Jul 21st 2021, 12:43 AM

    @John Considine: from such humble beginnings in apartheid South Africa. A true embodiment of the American dream

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    Mute Teddy Bear
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    Jul 21st 2021, 8:20 AM

    @John Considine: what do you mean by sold?

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    Mute Vincent Bickerstaffe
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    Jul 20th 2021, 9:40 PM

    Anyone know what the Edge of Earth is?

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    Mute Liam McDonald
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    Jul 20th 2021, 9:42 PM

    @Vincent Bickerstaffe: Leitrim

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    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
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    Jul 20th 2021, 9:46 PM

    @Vincent Bickerstaffe: near Bono usually

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    Mute pkunzip doom2.zip
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    Jul 20th 2021, 9:47 PM

    @Vincent Bickerstaffe: Longford is outer space

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    Mute Vincent Bickerstaffe
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    Jul 20th 2021, 9:50 PM

    @Dave O’Keeffe: aha..good one..

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    Mute Vincent Bickerstaffe
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    Jul 20th 2021, 9:51 PM

    @Vincent Bickerstaffe: 10:45.. ISS flying over head

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    Mute Tony Gordon
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    Jul 20th 2021, 11:41 PM

    @Vincent Bickerstaffe: technically falling not flying

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    Mute Phil Redmond
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    Jul 21st 2021, 7:26 AM

    @Vincent Bickerstaffe: It’s round. It doesn’t have an edge or am I not allowed say that in case I offend some flat earth nutcase

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    Mute Matt
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    Jul 20th 2021, 10:32 PM

    Who cares its not relevant

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    Mute Mick Tobin
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    Jul 21st 2021, 2:13 AM

    @Matt: Not relevant to what? It’s obviously relevant to your online presence since you cared to comment.

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    Mute Pauliebhoy
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    Jul 20th 2021, 9:55 PM

    Down the back of the sofa?

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    Mute alan hickey
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    Jul 21st 2021, 2:52 AM

    Bezos comes across as an as hole compared t Branson

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    Mute David Dineen
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    Jul 20th 2021, 9:41 PM

    Your about two weeks too late, this debate was had when Branson blasted off to space,

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    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
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    Jul 20th 2021, 9:54 PM

    @David Dineen: pretty sure the edge of space existed before July 2021. It does in fact exist but its hard to define. That’s why there’s a 20km discrepancy, huge if you’re going point to point on a map but when you’re going up 20km is almost literally nothing

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    Mute Ken Loughman
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    Jul 21st 2021, 2:12 PM

    I cannot help but post this:

    https://youtu.be/lYSOmYyNHpU

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    Mute Linus Robin
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    Jul 21st 2021, 4:49 AM

    It’s wherever the Lord JB says it is I suppose.

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    Mute Steve O'Hara-Smith
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    Jul 21st 2021, 10:28 AM

    Regardless of where you put the arbitrary line I would say that you need to achieve orbit to be anything other than an over extended vomit comet flight. This is no more access to space than pole vaulting is access to high places.

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    Mute Life in no motion
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    Jul 21st 2021, 11:55 AM

    Two billionaires comparing the length of their rockets and how far they reach

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    Mute sean o'dhubhghaill
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    Jul 21st 2021, 11:46 AM

    Just outside Ballyhaunis.

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