Mr. Padraic McGann:

The Chairman's question is hard to answer but I will be honest. I would say that 30% of rural pubs in Ireland are not sustainable. They are giving a service to their community. They do not have their doors opened. The committee may be aware that many pubs did not open their doors until 2 p.m., 5 p.m., or like myself 7 p.m. The pubs are giving a service to the community. As was said earlier, a lot of the other services are closed. This is their pride and passion. To close that door would be like going into the grave. This may take a few months or six months but I believe it will take a year before we realise how many will close. This is the reason a lot of them are not closing. It is their passion and it is about keeping that door open. They would feel so bad about it. It is because of the three or four generations before them. There is nothing left in rural Ireland for it to be a sustainable business. As we know, many places opened takeaways, which I did also, to keep the business going and to give a service to the community. The other services are not in small communities and they have not been supported by any Government in the past ten years. The way small rural pubs are at the moment is a very sad state of affairs and especially going forward with regard to rearing a family or anything like that.