Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Is the Government decision, based on medical advice, to keep our pubs closed until 10 August? This is a retrograde step. Our hard-working publicans and, very importantly, their customers as well, are being treated very unfairly.

In the interest of keeping things proper and correct, I declare at the beginning that I am connected to a person who owns a pub. Our public houses have served us very well over the years. The Vintners' Federation of Ireland, VFI, is a very responsible organisation representing very responsible, small businesspeople who were very much looking forward to opening next Monday on the Government's word. The Tánaiste should remember what the Government has done to them. Their pubs are now stocked, work rosters have been organised, and people have organised babysitters. They are ready to open their doors and turn on their lights but last night the Government pulled the rug out from underneath them. I want to look at the reasons.

NPHET are saying they have looked internationally at what has happened in public houses throughout the rest of the world and that when they opened, there was a spike or increase in cases of the virus. However, we are missing one very important point here. We have always said that Irish pubs are unique, that our country pubs are unique. They cater to smaller groups of people and they know their customers. All they wanted to do was open up in a small way so that local people could come in from the countryside to have a drink. It must be remembered that there is an awful lot of difference between Dame Lane and Ballinskelligs, or between Dame Lane and Portmagee, or indeed any other part of the constituency that I represent.

The Government has really missed the bigger picture, in that opening these pubs absolutely would not have increased the occurrence of the virus. I would like the Tánaiste to explain on the record the difference between a person inside in a public house with a pint of Guinness in one hand and a toasted cheese sandwich in the other and a person in another pub with a pint of Guinness and no toasted cheese sandwich?

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