Mr. Adrian Cummins:

I thank the Deputy for a very good question. This is one of the biggest issues we face at the moment. In the middle of the second quarter, with landlords demanding full rent, there is no State apparatus available for commercial tenants to seek to have mediation, burden-sharing or another mechanism put in place. In other countries, such as France and Denmark, the state has intervened, specifically during the Covid-19 crisis, to bring banks, landlords and commercial tenants to the table and put a forum in place. Three weeks ago, the UK created a commercial rent forum for businesses. This does not solely concern the hospitality sector as retailers are in the same boat as we are. This is one of the biggest issues restaurants are facing at the moment. The State has to intervene and bring all parties to the table. While we understand that there is a constitutional issue with property rights, all parties have to play their part in dealing with this crisis and landlords are not doing so.