Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the issue of many of our restaurants and cafés around the country that are closing their doors. Many more are at tipping point. A restaurant near me, Budds of Ballydehob, put out a post about this on social media, and the outpouring of support was immense. As the Taoiseach knows, in towns and villages in Cork South-West the café might be the heart of the community where people gather. It provides employment. There are so many benefits outside of it being a café that are difficult to put into words. The impact on our towns and villages when these places close is absolutely devastating. That was evident during the crash, when our main streets were left desolate and hollowed-out. Opportunities for local employment really vanished with that. Some towns never recovered, although the hospitality sector was key in our recovery from the crash in general. We just cannot see a repeat of this. I know that the Government allocated €1.2 billion to the temporary business energy support scheme, but only €145 million of that was spent. What measures is the Government looking into to address this issue?

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