Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Kelly for his question and the issues he has raised. There is no doubt that the impact of Covid-19 on the economy has been very severe in 2020, and especially on the domestic side of the economy. Regarding the multinational sector, it is worth saying this, and the Deputy will acknowledge it and get it, but a lot of people in the House do not get it, that Sinn Féin and the far left have never acknowledged or accepted the extraordinary impact the multinational sector has had on our economy. It is 250,000 direct jobs and 450,000 jobs dependent on that sector. It has been significant in enabling the country to try to get through this unprecedented global pandemic and its impact.

Deputy Kelly is correct in identifying the hospitality, food and accommodation sectors as those that have been particularly impacted by Covid-19. It is no-one's fault other than Covid-19 because the virus thrives in congregated settings. The virus also affects the other related sectors of music and entertainment, or wherever people gather and audiences are required, because the virus thrives there.

The Deputy will be aware of the whole variety of supports offered already, from restart grants to microenterprise loans and so on. Many businesses, however, do not want to take on any more debt. We get that. Hence the various general VAT reductions. We will have to look again at more sector-specific approaches or look at how we can keep as many businesses and enterprises in the tourism sector viable and intact over the medium term. That is the challenge and we are working on that. We are reflecting on how best to do that across the board to see what is the most effective way of retaining viability so that when Covid is over, businesses can re-emerge and get going again in creating employment in the tourism and hospitality sector.

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