Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister very much. We had agreed when the meeting was being organised that I might just outline some of the concerns. Members will have an opportunity, in any event, to contribute for a minute or two but we must finish at 2.45 p.m.

I agree with the Minister that this is an important measure and that it helps businesses, which are struggling with costs. When we introduced it as part of the Covid measures, we also introduced very substantial grants for those businesses to buy outdoor furniture. That seems to have caught on after Covid and is well used.

It is welcome that we extend it. To be clear, we are extending the waiver to the end of December 2024. There will be no charges for tables and chairs up to December 2024 and we may extend it after that. Canopies, awnings and heaters will have no charge permanently if they are provided in conjunction with the tables and chairs.

An issue I want to raise is one we have discussed many times, namely, it is very important there is ongoing monitoring by the local authority. We have all been guilty of dragging a chair into the sunshine when the sun drops around a building. We need to watch out for that creep of tables and chairs along the pavements so we do not overclutter them. Because there is no fee, there might be a desire to put out as many tables and chairs as possible and we want to make sure the pavements remain accessible for pedestrians, in particular anybody with accessibility or mobility issues. We also want to ensure public places are not overly dominated by private tables and chairs and that we still have that accessibility in public places. If people do not wish to buy a coffee, a sandwich, a pint or otherwise, they should still have access to those public places.

We have raised these issues before with the Minister. The committee is very much of a mind to agree this request. I will open the floor to members to make their points. I call Deputy O'Callaghan.