Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Will the Minister give the House an update on the Government proposals on any assistance that might be available or is being considered for commercial tenants with their rents? I have noticed that many commercial tenants are very fearful, especially of the international landlords, who do not seem to be as forgiving as the local landlords. They seem to have a bottom line, which does not take into consideration the Covid-19 crisis, and for the commercial tenants I know, that could have a huge impact. We have seen the big story of Bewley's having to close its doors this week for that reason. I am absolutely certain this is happening across the country to smaller businesses. A lot of local chambers of commerce and businesses are coming to me on the issue. I addressed it with the Minister for Finance a few weeks ago and he was hoping to meet some of these international landlords. What exactly can we do? We discuss evictions and we are talking about a lot of businesses trying to get over Covid-19. They are seriously concerned that these international landlords will not listen and will not do anything about their plight.

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