Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to take up the point made by my colleague, Deputy Ó Cuív, in regard to the 57% criteria laid down by the European Union.

It is very easy to be an Independent Deputy for County Kerry and to come in here and say "coulda, shoulda, sod of turf", mention 12 villages in one's county and say where the money should have gone. The reality is that if we had not followed the rules, we would have waved goodbye to €520 million of EU money. The funding was specific to certain measures and that is reflected in yesterday's plan. I agree with Deputy Ó Cuív that we would have loved to have seen some more of the money going to different regions. I will refer presently to an issue relating to my region.

There are several measures announced yesterday that are very positive. First, the extension of the PUP and the EWSS right up to the end of the year is welcome. The provision regarding the VAT rate is also very positive. As my party's spokesperson on tourism and aviation, I know that particular measure will be very welcome to the owners of hotels, bed and breakfast and self-catering accommodation, all of which are opening today. It is great to see the booking system already up and running for many premises. It will be quite a buoyant summer but those businesses will face a challenging shoulder season. This is a particular issue we need to watch, as a country and a Government, as we come into the autumn and winter. People will be back at work and school and will not typically be taking the weekends away they might take in the summer. There are slim months in any year when businesses need support. This year, above all others, the tourism sector will need supports during that season.

There are sectors that will take longer to bounce back. Beauty sector businesses such as barbers and hairdressers are booked out and will remain booked out for many weeks to come. People's hair will grow again and they will need another appointment. Those businesses are pretty much back to where they were in 2019. Many have already seen a really great bounceback. For other sectors, such as tourism, the live performance industry, hospitality and aviation, the recovery will take longer. It will be a long time yet before we see a local hotel with 300 or 350 people enjoying a wedding on a Saturday night. There will be sectors that require continuing supports.

I will conclude by speaking about Shannon Airport. It is regrettable and reprehensible that the chief executive of Aer Lingus did not appear before the Oireachtas transport committee today. Anybody who holds a leadership role in an organisation should roll with the punches, attend meetings and engage with stakeholders. I have in my breast pocket the payslip of an Aer Lingus employee in Shannon. For a fortnight at the start of this year, this worker received €634, of which the State paid €600. This means Aer Lingus was paying that individual €17 per week to work for the company. The Government has skin in this game because it has been largely paying Aer Lingus's wage bill for the past 15 months. As such, there should be strings attached when the airline comes looking again for funding. It received €150 million in Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, ISIF, funding from the Government in February and its wage bill has been mostly covered for 15 months. Now it is back looking for money. The company needs to commit to Shannon and its workers there. The Government needs to attach some conditionality to any funding it provides to ensure there is a long-term future for Shannon. The airport is very viable and a great deal depends on it. I really hope Aer Lingus management will take the opportunity next week to come in and meet with us, instead of shying away from engagement. It has done that for too long with its workers, the Oireachtas and the unions. I hope it will take the opportunity to address the matter next week.

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