Mr. Matt McGranaghan:

I thank the Deputy. One of the most effective supports we have is the PUP. When we see that being reduced come September, we are very concerned that is going to be a repeat of last year whereby, as other sectors slowly reopened, there were reductions and then, as the larger lockdown happened in October, the rate went back up again. The PUP is a critical life support but it should be enhanced with additional supports. The LPSS is a very good support. We could be critical of certain aspects of it, certainly, and it does not get out all the time to everyone who needs it, so we must look at other ways of ensuring subsidies can be given right across all the different sectors.

One of the greatest supports could be to make guidelines that will allow for work to happen in a safe and responsible manner and not just put this blanket ban on. That could then encourage a lot of workers back to licensed premises, hotels and weddings. That is probably one of the best real-life supports, along with maintaining the PUP.