Shane Cassells (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the witnesses for their contributions. Also, I thank those who contacted us in the past day or two ahead of the meeting. We had the opportunity yesterday to raise some of these points, as I did, with the Minister with responsibility for tourism who was in the Seanad yesterday for a two-hour debate on issues relating to the hospitality and tourism measures. We were able to bring to her attention the demands that have been laid out in respect of the CRSS payments, the commitment to the 9% VAT rate, rates waivers and so forth. I brought those directly to her attention yesterday. Also, and this is the crucial part, in terms of the roadmap, Mr. Anderson and others have spoken about the fact that tensions are undoubtedly rising with people wanting to get back trading. It is not about just the financial supports any more. People want to start trading as well. I would ask the three representative bodies about that. Starting with the Vintners Federation of Ireland and the points made by Mr. O'Keeffe and Mr. Cribben, during the previous lockdowns we saw a divergence between the way Dublin was handled and they way the rest of the country was handled. There are a few reasons for this. One related to the different rates of the growth of the virus in Dublin versus other areas. Mr. Anderson alluded to the crazy situation of pubs that serve food being treated differently from those that do not serve food, which only led to ludicrous scenarios, especially down the country, with pubs suddenly operating pop-up pizza parlours and so forth. That is nonsense and needs to be hit on the head straight away.

Is there a joint approach on the part of the Vintners Federation of Ireland and the Licensed Vintners Association towards addressing this? The last thing I want is a divergence between the way Dublin is handled and the way the rest of the country is dealt with in the context of that roadmap. Undoubtedly, there is a difference between them even in the layout of pubs. Mr. O'Keeffe alluded to this point and said it should be done on the basis of space. For example, Mr. Anderson's pub, Lemon & Duke, which is located down the road from these Houses and which we frequent, would be very different from the layout of my local pubs back home in Navan, Paddy Fitzsimon's or P. Clarke's Bar in Navan, which Mr. Cribben would know well. They are very different pubs. In terms of trying to get a one size fits all solution for all pubs around the country, do the Licensed Vintners Association and the Vintners Federation of Ireland have a joint approach to dealing with the Government when they get the opportunity to lobby?

On restaurants, I agree with what Mr. Cummins said 100%. He said 20% of them are only equipped for outdoor dining, which is interesting. As Mr. Cribben said, one is as liable to get a hailstone shower as a burst of sunshine. We dealt previously with the VAT rate when it was increased. Mr. Cummins stated that an increase in the rate would put people in the sector in a precarious position. He said 50% were on the verge of collapse. What is his fear for the members of Restaurants Association of Ireland for the rest of this year?

With respect to the Irish Hotels Federation, the Minister touched on the impact of the drop in revenue for the sector many times during yesterday's debate. Mr. Fenn and Ms Fitzgerald Kane said there was a 60% drop in revenue. Obviously, the international market is key in the context of visitors coming to the country. The Minister referred yesterday to the digital green certificate but she made the point that we should not raise hopes about a quick return to international tourism. She played that down very significantly. If that is the case, what impact will that have on the revenue of the members of the Irish Hotels Federation if only the domestic market is allowed return for say the next 12 or 24 months?