Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Cheann Comhairle as ucht an deis seo a thabhairt dom an t-ábhar seo a phlé anocht. I acknowledge the message I had from the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, that she could not attend the debate.

In the context of the current wave of Covid infections, our hospitality and night-time entertainment sector is once again at the forefront of the response. Many people are changing their plans, as has been acknowledged today by the Chief Medical Officer, CMO, and the sector is bearing the brunt of that. To give an example, I am aware of a small restaurant that has had 2,324 cancellations in the past two weeks. That is being replicated right across the country in restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, theatres and music venues. A specific response is needed to the situation they face in the coming weeks. These are not just any weeks; the weeks that make up the Christmas period sustain the hospitality and night-time entertainment industry through the quiet months of January, February and March. The money that is earned now pays the bills during that time and allows businesses to build up again. The current situation requires a specific response, including a commitment to extend the employment wage subsidy scheme, EWSS, and the Covid restrictions support scheme, CRSS, to sustain businesses through the period.

There is also a need for a firmer discussion around the response to where hospitality finds itself at this stage in the Covid crisis. Are we serious about hospitality in Ireland or are we taking it for granted? Are we gong to invest in training for the industry to provide the skills that are needed? Is the view prevailing, as has been expressed by some members of the Government in recent times, that there are loads of jobs in the industry, even though that does not recognise the skills needed within the sector? People cannot simply be moved around and skills are being lost to the industry. Employees are moving out of hospitality, tourism and late-night entertainment into other areas of the economy. Their skills will be lost and cannot easily be replaced. When international and domestic travel comes back, when we eventually put Covid behind us and once again look to tourism, hospitality and late-night entertainment to rebuild our lives, those skills will be gone.

We need a specific, tailored package in place for late-night entertainment specialists, including sound and music technicians. We also need a package of key employee supports in order that restaurants and hotels can retain employees such as chefs, whose skills are limited but necessary. They need to be retained within the hospitality industry. I know of chefs who have moved into catering in manufacturing, manufacturing itself or retail because there is certainty around employment. There must be an immediate response to the particular crisis being faced by hospitality and night-time entertainment, which is occurring as we speak. I referred to cancellations for the Christmas period, which include cancellations of late-night events. We also need a whole-of-government response that will put hospitality on a new setting, make it ready for a post-Covid world and ensure the skills are in place to make it an attractive sector in which to work. The industry also must respond by providing certainty and offering wages that are fair, decent and reflective of the modern economy. However, it cannot do that on its own. A partnership approach is needed.

I have been saying for a long time that we need some sort of specific training mechanism, such as that provided in the past by CERT. In its time, it did a wonderful job of providing training, preparing people for careers and offering life skills for workers in the hospitality and night-time entertainment industry. It is time we had a commitment once again to a body such as CERT. I look forward to a response from the Government. We will not have instant solutions this evening but there needs to be an awareness of how urgent the situation is for the many thousands of people employed in the industry.

See this speech in context