Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have two and a half minutes left so I will lump my questions in together. The witnesses might note them and answer where possible. This one is mainly for the VFI. During the week, many regional towns with students attending college seem to have an issue. The weekend is not as problematic because students are looking for work. Is that an issue and how can it be solved?

This question is for both groups. It appears that drink sales are down since before the pandemic. Do the witnesses see that ever bouncing back to pre-pandemic levels or has there been a cultural shift? Are they fearful it might not come back? We have all noticed that people do not seem to be going to pubs as much as when I was in my 20s. Is there a longer-term cultural issue?

The witnesses mentioned security of employment and the fact that people are fearful about the future. They also covered the visa waiver and visas for non-EU workers.

My final question is for the VFI. This is a good opportunity to raise it. Many of us have been contacted by local VFI members about the proposed sale of alcohol Bill. Some aspects of it are concerning for the VFI in particular, such as the extinguishment issue. There is much more detail in the Bill to be hashed out but the VFI's members might be fearful that, while the existing set-up is that a new licence is only granted where another licence is extinguished, there might be a free-for-all. I would certainly be concerned if that was the case. The witnesses might address that.