Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail)

I thank the witnesses for their presentations. We appreciate them. As regards comments made about the hospitality sector, it is important to note this is a sector which is the lifeblood of small towns and villages across the country. It is not just in terms of employment. Clearly, the hospitality sector is extremely important for such areas where jobs are lost and they may not be replaced locally. On the value these small businesses bring to local communities, they act as hubs. They are not simply small hotels, bars or restaurants; they are a facility for communities to come together. Not addressing this in any way greatly underestimates the social value these businesses provide to communities.

There has been research carried out which reflects this, particularly with regard to rural pubs, which are often essentially meeting points for local clubs or local voluntary groups in addition to also financially supporting such work in many cases. Has Dr. McDonnell or anyone in the Nevin Economic Research Institute reviewed any of this research or carried out their own about the social value hospitality businesses provide to hundreds of thousands of people in towns and villages across the country?