Pat Casey (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I plan to reopen my own business on Wednesday. That reopening would not be possible without the Government supports that have been provided over the past 15 months. I wish to acknowledge that before I raise a similar issue to that of Senator Keogan.

I am in the privileged position to be able to allow indoor dining in my hotel from Wednesday. However, the locals - who are my regulars - who want to dine in the hotel have to sit outside. I find that two-tier approach most unfair. Why should locals coming to the hotel to dine be treated differently from a hotel resident? I have always argued that we should use the science that is available. If the science tells us that it is safe to eat indoors, why is it not safe for non-hotel residents to dine indoors? Equally, I object to the complex messaging on time limits for dining. Those dining at tables 1 m apart are subject to a limit of 105 minutes, but those dining outside at tables that are 2 m apart can sit for as long as they like until they are kicked out at the end of the night. I understand why the Restaurants Association of Ireland and the Vintners' Association of Ireland are frustrated by this approach. I do not see how the science supports that.

I also wish to touch upon another issue that was highlighted over the weekend. I wonder what we would be talking about here today if it had been raining over the weekend. We would not be discussing any of the situations that we saw unfolding in our city centres or indeed in other hotspots across the country. In Glendalough, on the first fine weekend in May we ended up in the same situation as Dublin over the weekend. The place was packed to capacity. There was no room and not enough bins and facilities. As we plan for an outdoor event, we should plan more for these occurrences. It is very difficult to cater for a one-off event. I am not saying that the weekend was a one-off event. However, it is not often that we have a weekend of such fine weather. Perhaps the reopening of society will help reduce these occurrences in the long term. If we knew the weather forecast, we could plan for these events. The uncertainty is the weather. If we had certainty around the weather, we could plan better for these occurrences.