Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The presentation was excellent. It was an eye-opener. The one thing we all have in common in this committee is that we want to show our support to the tourism industry and to see it up and running as soon as possible. I heard Mr. McGowan this morning on my local radio station, LMFM. He gave me warning signs when he said 80% of restaurants are tenants as such. In other words, landlords are running the restaurants. That put a bit of fear in me. Mr. Cummins mentioned utility companies imposing high bills and commercial landlords seeking full payments. These all seem like warning signs. It is important going forward that the Government gives full supports, not only financially, in getting tourism up and running. I come from Dundalk and I think we now appreciate what hotels, pubs and restaurants do considering the amount the queues I see outside takeaways in the lashing rain or outside pubs taking away drinks and everything else. It is something we took for granted. Many people in Ireland go on foreign holidays but they appreciate what the witnesses' organisations are doing at the moment in trying to get some normality back.

Are there many businesses in this country being run by landlords? Are there many people who own pubs, hotels and restaurants who are tenants? Coming from a business background, I know if one is a tenant paying a landlord, most of the money paid is going back in taxes. In turn, the Government should be giving it back to the likes of the witnesses' organisations to get businesses going. That is a real concern of mine. Are most of the witnesses' organisations' businesses tenants or landlords? How are they run at the moment?