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

As the Deputy knows, all the evidence suggests that outdoor dining is much safer than indoor. The same applies to drinking outdoors being safer than drinking indoors. That is why the Government established a scheme to help restaurants and gastro pubs make better use of their outdoor areas. I understand that so-called "wet pubs", and I hope we abolish that term soon, cannot avail of this scheme. Deputy Michael Moynihan has raised this today and Deputy Phelan also raised it earlier this week.

I will endeavour to see if it can be changed. I will have to talk to the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin, to see if that can be changed. There may be good reasons for excluding those pubs that I am not aware of. On the face of it, however, it certainly seems like common sense that this scheme should also be open to pubs that do not serve food. I reiterate that I will take this up with the Minister and I will respond to the Deputy as soon as I can.

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