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

I recently met representatives of the hospitality sector, along with the Tánaiste and the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin. We heard good submissions on the impact of Covid-19 on the sector, which has been the hardest hit sector across the economy, along with the arts and entertainment sectors. That is because of the virus and not because of Government policy. The variant has made it worse and more difficult for the hospitality sector more generally.

The Government has provided unprecedented supports to the hospitality sector and to other sectors of the economy in underpinning them through very difficult times in the midst of a global pandemic, which has up-ended the industry and this sector. Government will continue to look at what additional measures can be taken and we will work with the Ministers for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform with a view towards the medium term. We have agreed to extend the supports until the end of June and we will see in the national economic recovery plan what specific measures can be introduced in line with task force recommendations around more medium-term guarantees that we can give to the industry and the sector.

The EU is considering the digital green pass. There are some differences of opinion among member states in terms of health advice and the utilisation and application of the digital green pass health certificate, which demonstrates that one has had the vaccination, to wider civil society in the conferring of rights to some over others. That said, we will be part of that interoperability and these are issues we will discuss as the vaccination programme rolls out. Suffice it to say that the nuts and bolts of such a policy are under active consideration, not just by Government but across the European Union. It is not as simple as it has been presented.

We are in a fragile state in terms of where the virus is right now. The Deputies should bear that in mind in how we look forward. We have made no decision on what will happen post 5 April. That is the current position.

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