Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am most concerned about the outliers, as I said. I ask that the Department look at putting in place a mechanism to assist them in the new year. Sean Kilkenny and Eamonn Andrews are two examples. There are also the bookkeepers who only have a racecourse presence. They do not have a bookkeeping office but appear with their leather bag at the racecourse. They are another group who are missing out.

Bed and breakfast owners are another group where people felt they lost out early on when the Covid supports were kicking in. There are supports in place for them now but bed and breakfast owners in County Clare are very worried to hear that many of them are going to be approached by the Valuation Office in early 2021 and that they will be judged as being commercial entities. In some places, like Killarney, for example, there are large 14-bedroom bed and breakfast businesses that could be considered to be almost mini-hotels. However, that model of bed and breakfast accommodation is not on offer in County Clare and the operators there are worried that, at a time when they are struggling to keep their businesses going, they will be subjected to rates. I ask the Minister of State to defer whatever plan he has in this regard and to work with other Ministers to look at broadening the scope of the range of business supports in order that more businesses can benefit from them in early 2021.

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