Shane Cassells (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. I acknowledge his words and his work in ensuring that businesses that were forced to close as a result of the pandemic and their staff were supported.

It is important that this debate is framed by acknowledging how it was predicted last spring that our economy would shrink by 8%, but now it is predicted that it will only shrink by 2.3%. I wish to highlight the resilience of business in Ireland, especially in the multinational sector and the strong exports by IT companies and pharmaceutical companies that have made sure we will get back to a level playing field. There are plenty of people in this House who tell us what is wrong, but they are missing for this important debate. Their absence is notable. They have a love affair with Cuba. They were at it again this morning. They were talking about Diego Maradona and brought Cuba into it, a country that is in the depths of despair and poverty. There is no sign of them now for a debate about the reopening of this country. We had a predicted decrease in economic activity of 8% and it is 2.3%. Spain's economy has decreased by 12.4%, Italy by 9.9%, and the UK by 10.3%. There is no sign of the Cubans.

The actions to support businesses during the pandemic and the philosophical approach in general has made sure that this country can recover. Senator McDowell spoke about how the reopening cannot be measured and analysed purely in commercial terms. He is so right. The Minister of State used a phrase in his speech to the effect that we need to support businesses in their journey. He is correct. There will be many journeys. It is not all about pounds, shillings and pence. It is about the very fabric of society. I refer to sport, which is part of the reopening as well. I made the point to the Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Jack Chambers, that we supported these organisations financially, which is welcome, but I argued that elite sports should continue during level 5, and I am glad I did. Many here did not. We saw the joy last weekend in Tipperary and Cavan and the despair in Meath. It is all emotion, but it is all part of making sure that life can continue with some normality. I praise the arts community. We saw the Abbey Theatre broadcast a number of plays online to mark Bloody Sunday. The Solstice arts centre in Navan has continued its visual art performances online as well. Many have spoken about the churches. I do not need to speak to the Minister of State about it, as Fr. Mark would be on the phone to him, but I praise the Taoiseach for engaging with the leaders of all churches.

The retail sphere is the Minister of State's area of responsibility. I noted his words to the effect that many will need to avail of trading online. I praise the Government for the funds it provided to get small retail operations trading online, that would never have engaged in it previously. Here is the rub and the big challenge: we had a problem with retail businesses in town centres before this and we are now encouraging online business for even the smaller businesses that would not have traded online. I am fearful that in trying to help businesses, we could hasten the death of the main street. Last Sunday, the television programme "The Week in Politics" had a segment about our home town of Navan and spoke to many traders based in Navan Town Centre, including Michelle Coldrick. Ms Coldrick posed the question as to whether she will be there next year. That is the big question. Will we be here next year? We need not just a focus on keeping business alive, but keeping our towns alive, because if our towns die we lose something in terms of the fabric of society as well.