Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We have to acknowledge that the Government supports for businesses have been good, so much so that even Deputy Boyd Barrett acknowledged in his contribution that some of the supports have been good. That is a little highlight reel that I will keep for myself but I also agree with some of his statements on those sectors that have been left out. They have been good and the star of the show for so many has been the CRSS. It has been the lifeblood and support that has meant survival for so many businesses so to see it extended until June is welcome.

At every opportunity I try to speak up on behalf of the hospitality sector because it is such a big employer where I am from. The hospitality sector had some simple asks that we should take seriously. There is the extension of the 9% VAT rate until 2025, something we should consider to give the sector security. There is the continuation of the EWSS, which is vital for the hospitality sector, particularly in the retention of skills and staff because there is a fear that the hospitality sector will lose staff and skills to other sectors unless it can retain them in employment. The EWSS is key to that. The other ask is for the extension of the CRSS, not just until June but until the end of the year, and even to look at the possibility of increasing the CRSS, particularly for the hospitality sector to allow it to flourish and to make sure there is a sector there going forward.

Coming back to Deputy Boyd Barrett's point about those sectors that have been left out, I have to mention outdoor activities. I am thinking about companies involved in golf, driving ranges, boating activities and other outdoor activities that have not paid rates and that may have a turnover below the €50,000 per year requirement to qualify for the small business support scheme. Everywhere they turn, when it comes to restart grants there is nothing there for them. We have had a couple of opportunities to address that anomaly and we have not done so. I implore the Minister to look at this, whether it is under the CRSS or the small business support scheme, to accommodate those businesses because they are crying out for help.

See this speech in context