Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the good news that, at long last, a chair has been appointed to Shannon Airport, a former Member of this House, Pádraig Ó Céidigh. I wish him all the best. He was an appropriate choice for the position given the economic situation and it being a driver for the region. I look forward to working with Pádraig. He is the right man for the job, so a good job was done.

Drinks Industry Ireland published a report today, stating that in 2022 there will be 40,000 fewer people working in the drinks and hospitality industry than in 2019. It is frightening. I know it is a result of the pandemic. People had livelihoods and mortgages. Their families were dependent on them working in the industry. In the mid-west alone, it projects that 3,000 fewer people will be working in that industry. I know that Drinks Industry Ireland is looking for cutbacks in the VAT rate for the hospitality industry in the budget. We should all support it because it does not just affect the mid-west but all of Ireland. It is a substantial workforce, with 180,000 people in 2019 and 140,000 in 2022.