Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I appreciate that the context has changed but it will change again. One of the features of the pandemic we might not have anticipated months ago is the enormous impact it is having on our city centres and some town centres. The suburbs of Dublin are quite busy but footfall in the city centre is really low. Businesses with a high-cost model, often involving the payment of high rents, covered their costs through high turnover but they no longer have a high turnover and are really struggling. Calling into sandwich shops and small businesses around the city centre, I am really struck by how much their turnover is down. It is down phenomenally and I am very worried about it. Addressing this involves providing the assistance we are giving the businesses through the various packages with which the Deputies will be familiar. We will need to have a workable plan for our city centres to get people back to offices in a safe and blended way when we can, to reclaim the streets for a bit more outdoor dining, to have some more space for people to sit outside businesses, and to facilitate cyclists and pedestrians. The various city councils are wise to this and are working on it.

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