Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Gibbons and Ms De Saulles. This is a huge issue and the figures given by the witnesses are stark and scary in terms of the number of insolvencies we will face.

I want to be positive regarding the products we have in Tipperary. I congratulate Pat Slattery, Triona O'Mahoney and Marie Phelan regarding the Munster Vales and the new product they launched recently. I thank the witnesses for their support of that. It is a tourism development strategy encompassing three or four counties and mountain ranges. We have nice places to visit in Tipperary. We are not only renowned for hurling and horses. We have a lot of scenery also.

Fáilte Ireland has been involved as an advisory body to the HSE and it has been blamed by the publicans in respect of the wet and dry pubs. Who came up with the name "wet pubs"? We do not have to wear Wellingtons going into any pub, thank God. It is a horrible name and I would like to get some clarification on it because there are major issues now around the CRSS. In the last opening up, some pubs got food from approved providers and made arrangements for it to be safely eaten in their premises but that has been denied to them now. I have been told by gastropub owners that they will not be able to reopen because they are afraid of crowds who may come from 20 or 30 miles away. There is not a level playing field in that regard and that needs to be sorted out because it is very unfair.

Knockmealdown Active, which is a small voluntary group, and other voluntary groups are working to promote tourism and get their areas fit for its return. I often use the greenway in Dungarvan but also the new blueway. Deputy Griffin, when he was Minister of State, was down in County Waterford with us but we have a fabulous blueway on the River Suir and I want to compliment all involved in that. That is good for our health also but we need to market it.

The hotel sector needs to be supported because even though they were closed they were paying huge amounts of money in standing orders to a plethora of different providers and they were fleeced. They have accrued massive losses while their doors were closed. The witnesses cannot deal with that but I appeal to them to consider it in their role as an advisory body to the Government. I would be happy if they would answer those few questions.