Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I take the Senator's point on the banking announcement this morning. I was also disappointed to read the news about branch closures in my constituency. I will certainly raise these points with the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe.

The Government is working with the tourism sector. The Senator referred to key representative bodies which have been working hard and keeping in regular contact with the Government giving suggestions on what is needed to support the sector. Last Friday, I met with the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, and Insurance Ireland on the issue of business interruption insurance. Insurance companies are now paying out on legitimate business interruption claims. From my experience locally, that has not always been the case, however. If Senator Dooley is aware of a legitimate claim that is not being paid, he should let us know because we want to feed that into our discussions with the insurance industry. Work is ongoing and a stakeholders forum has been established.The key stakeholders are working with the relevant Ministers, namely, the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, who has apologised that she could not be here today and the Tánaiste. The Government is acutely aware of the importance of these sectors and is determined to support them as best it can, until we get to a situation where they can operate more fully again.