Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Deputy's interest in this topic and the suggestions he made. We have referred to many of them throughout the course of the debate. I appreciate that everybody is coming at this in good faith in their suggestions and ideas for supports for business.

However, we cannot lose sight of the fact that all of these suggestions and elements of assistance for businesses will come at a cost that will have to be paid by somebody. All of that money needs to be paid back, whether by the local authorities or the Government. It is important that there would be a business case for those interventions and proposed measures that are being looked at, whether in the short, medium or long term. We cannot lose sight of the fact that businesses will require assistance but there must be a balance struck in terms of how much the State spends to try to return to some level of normal activity, when the State spends that money and where exactly it is directed. That is the key challenge and having a plan from the tourism sector that is backed up with strong economic arguments about the types of supports that are needed and how they will generate further economic activity and make sense will help everybody in the sector. I am keen for that to happen as soon as possible.

I am from the south west and know that the regions and other rural areas will be slower to recover from this crisis. The areas most likely to recover quickly are around Dublin, although that remains to be seen and factors such as population density might have an effect. For many rural communities, tourism is the only show in town. There may be some agriculture and fishing businesses but tourism is a lifeline for many enterprises. There must be a targeted response to ensure those areas are supported.

I am keen to see further utilisation in the future of our fantastic coastline from Dublin to Cork. We have seen how important the Wild Atlantic Way has been for many communities along the western seaboard and there is potential to do more with the coastline running down the east and south east from Dublin to Cork. That is just one idea among others I have heard but it would be positive for Deputy Shanahan's area and would complement the Waterford greenway, to which we recently gave further funding to enable it to extend. I had the pleasure of cycling the greenway two years ago. Areas such as that will benefit in the post-Covid-19 era.

See this speech in context