Mr. Adrian Cummins:

There are approximately 500 people per annum completing chef training. We need to double that. The Government has set a target of creating 50,000 jobs by 2020. We urgently need to create more training spaces. Unfortunately, our calls are going unheard.

A high-profile Irish pub in Paris will charge €10 for a pint of Guinness. Comparing the two capital cities of Paris and Dublin is to compare apples with oranges. These things need to be put into an international perspective.

The issue of below-cost selling affects restaurants when supermarkets offer so-called dine in for two promotions which include a bottle of wine and a meal for two people for €12.50. There are high-profile, high-visibility advertising campaigns, and restaurants cannot even purchase the product for the food, let alone for the alcohol, on that money. There is something radically wrong and I will defer to my colleagues with regard to the VAT and excise elements. When high-profile supermarkets conduct that type of advertising and offer these price promotions, it is obvious it is going to affect my industry - the restaurant industry - and ultimately the hospitality industry.