Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all of our guests. They made very compelling presentations outlining how difficult this period has been for the sector. I assure them that there is a very deep awareness in Fine Gael of the challenges the sector has faced in the recent past and is likely to face in the coming months. This subject is discussed at length at our parliamentary party meetings. We will be having another such meeting this evening at 5.30 p.m. and I expect it will be discussed yet again. We have a group of Deputies and Senators who are acutely aware of the challenges the sector faces and who represent both urban and rural Ireland. I assure the witnesses that I will be advocating that any of the supports that are critical to the survival of the sector remain in place until such time as they are no longer required and there would be significant support for that within my party. If one looks at the response of the Government to date, one could argue that it has done an excellent job in extending supports that are unique to the sector represented by the witnesses. I have received many representations from other sectors seeking access to similar supports but that is simply not possible at this time in the context of the resources available to us. It has been acknowledged by the Government that the sector is the worst impacted of all and the supports that have been extended to it reflect that.

I support the call for this committee to advocate for the sector to have immediate representation on the tourism recovery oversight group. The sector is, by definition, an integral part of our tourism offering and always has been. I know from work done by the Vintners Federation of Ireland and others how important our pubs, restaurants and hotels are in attracting tourists from around the world. It is almost a no-brainer and would could ask why anyone would need to do research on that question. I assure the witnesses that they will have my support in their efforts to gain immediate representation on the tourism recovery group. Furthermore, they will have my support for Mr. Cummin's suggestion that they would have seats on the board of Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland in the longer term. If an entity is established to determine how we recover and support our tourism sector and the hospitality sector is not represented on it, that must be resolved quickly.

If not today, perhaps Mr. Cummins and I could have a conversation in the near future on the chef apprenticeship scheme, which he described as being cost prohibitive. I know from speaking to the current Minister for Education and to previous Ministers in that role that there is very significant ambition in the Department to enhance our apprenticeship opportunities. If Mr. Cummins is arguing that the apprenticeship process as it applies to his industry is cost prohibitive, I would like to learn more and I thank Mr. Cummins for making that information available to us.

I accept that the voucher scheme that was established last year has not succeeded in doing what was intended. Mr. McGann made the point earlier that we should find a way to use technology to allow for the seamless transfer of the voucher to the intended recipients in the sector. That is something we should explore in the short rather than the long term. The supports that are already in place are financial, in the main, including the wage subsidy schemes, rates waivers, the CRSS and the restart grant. Are there any other supports, apart from financial, that we could provide to the sector, perhaps in the regulatory space, that would help it to return to business and a successful trading model as quickly as possible? Is there anything that can be done within the regulatory environment that would make that process more straight forward?

Finally, I assure the witnesses that they have my absolute support and that of the Fine Gael Party in negotiating what are uncharted waters for all of us.