Pat Casey (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Rather than having questions, I have a concern about the viability of many businesses moving forward as we emerge from the pandemic because of built-up debt and so on. The viability of the hospitality sector has changed significantly. Some 300 or 400 pubs have not reopened their doors and might never do so. It is a very challenging time for us as a sector to survive and get back to where we were in 2019.

I was going to get into the debate on the dividends issue but I will tie it in to the insurance debate. We eventually proved we had a claim for business interruption and, a year and a half later, we are still going through the process, which is frustrating. I can understand the frustration out there. I am not fond of the insurance companies but there has to be a balance. Some businesses, luckily, had access to the business interruption loan scheme, which allowed them to make a claim, but others did not have that available. The EWSS, to a certain extent, brought a level of support in all sectors. If the insurance companies are going to deduct the State supports from my claim, I will accept that because the State supported my company. If it had not done that and an insurance company had paid my company the equivalent of the State support – I return to the issues of profitability and dividends - should I then pay back the State the support it gave me?

There is a lot of roundabout stuff. My greatest concern, as a business operator whose insurance has increased by 250% in six years, relates to what impact this will have on my renewal premium in respect of my claim and how it will affect that, as well as on the other businesses it will affect. This is not about dividends but rather profitability, if we are going to measure it on anything.

This was a huge roll-out of State support, as the Minister said. What we are looking for moving forward is a scheme that is much more flexible and specifically targeted. Perhaps, if the scheme had been targeted before, some of these larger companies that probably did not need it might not have been in a position to avail of it. Will the Minister comment on that? We are not yet out of Covid and restrictions could return in the summer. It was difficult before Christmas to target the EWSS to the sectors directly affected by the Government's decision. Does the Minister foresee a more flexible and targeted scheme? If that had been in place, perhaps some of these larger corporations would not have availed of it.