Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It was quite stark for a lot of businesses that the real cut-off for them was 20 December with the introduction of the 8 p.m. closing time. In many cases that was compounded for the businesses that attempted to stick it out, while we had issues with staff shortages and so on due to isolation periods. It is something worth bearing in mind and I would hope there is an agreement that this year we might see the end of the EWSS or will be in a position to end it based on the roll-out of the pandemic.

I have two questions on AIB and timelines. On the announced trading plan, can the Minister give any indication of what the duration of that might be or when he thinks it could be brought to a close? On the trading plan for Bank of Ireland, the Minister said before that the target was extended to May 2022. Is that still the case or is that under review?