Paddy Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to be associated with the vote of sympathy to Senator Mullen on the death of his father. It is not an easy time when one loses a loved one, so I wish the Senator well.

We had a great debate here on tourism with the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, a number of months ago but we should have a rolling debate on tourism and the opening up of business, particularly small business in the tourism sector, such as small pubs and small restaurants. I presume it will be a while before they open and some may not open at all. That will cause many difficulties for those small businesses because they will have creditors to pay, there will be lots of bills and there will be staff redundancies. We need a debate on this because it will be a difficult decision for many small businesses whether to open. If they open, can they compete and will their premises be big enough? In many cases, they will not. I can see how the larger premises, particularly ones with outdoor areas for barbecuing and that sort of thing, will survive. Hopefully, the vast majority will survive and grow again but I can see many difficulties for small pubs and restaurants with limited seating and, maybe, no outdoor area. They will face harsh decisions and I hope we have a tourism debate and see if we can do something extra for those people.