Mr. Liam Edwards:

Regarding the Senator's question on the rising cost of hotel prices, I would say the position is different for restaurants. Reference was made to the issue of supply and demand for hotel accommodation in Dublin city where there is not enough supply and too much demand. However, the opposite is the case in much of rural Ireland. There is a fear among restaurants owners about increasing prices for consumers. Many restaurant owners have been soaking up their overheads to stay competitive and in business, and their profit margins have been decreasing. There is a fear among them, if they increase their prices, about whether consumers will still frequent them. We are monitoring the competition all the time. At this stage, I believe the consumer will see an increase in prices. We cannot do anything about that. We have to stay in business and maintain employment. It will not be anything of the order of the increase in hotel prices but there will be a creep up in prices because we have to stay in business. That is affecting rural Ireland.

We have seen the immediate effect of Brexit in the off season. Many small towns in rural Ireland have lost business from short trip visitors from the United Kingdom. That has been lost. The peak season was very good in Ireland. The number of American visitors was exceptional. We did not feel the effect of Brexit in the peak season, but in the off season we felt it straight away. I live in Kinsale, and if one was to go into the town tonight, one would find that 70% of the restaurants would be closed. We do not have the volume. It is cheaper to close one's doors in the off season than to remain open. It is worrying for those operating in the industry in rural Ireland in the off season.