Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter. We had hoped the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media would be able to do so, but I understand her Department has provided a written reply.

With the vaccination rate at such a high level, it is clear there is a strong appetite among people to get on with living their lives as safely, but as fully, as possible. While many of us are looking at the increasing Covid numbers, or the trend over recent weeks, with a degree of trepidation, there are many who do so with the determination to ensure those working in hospitality, including musicians and staff in pubs, restaurants and nightclubs, will get an opportunity to eke out a livelihood again. The prospect of their having to remain out of work for any longer than they have had to cannot be countenanced.

In the past few weeks, new regulations were introduced to allow for the reopening of the night-time economy. The roller-coaster that the nightlife sector has been put on indicates a shambolic approach. Time and again, we have seen a failure to engage in contingency planning for the various Covid scenarios.I am not here, however, to go over what has happened but to ask about the review of the guidelines introduced on October 22. A commitment was given then to review the situation within three weeks. We wish to know if that review will commence this Friday, who is going to conduct it, what its scope will be and when its findings are expected to be published. I have talked to nightclub operators, DJs, promoters and bar owners and the key issue that keeps arising is when will they be included in the conversation about the safe operation of their sector. This is important because many of the regulations introduced on 22 October cannot be complied with and are unenforceable. What respect and trust are being shown to this sector? The operators are seeking this review because they want to be able to have some input into the process that will determine how their sector will continue to trade and to survive this winter.

It is important to acknowledge that we have had a trend over several years, in Dublin but also around the country, where we have seen the closure of pubs and nightclubs and we cannot afford to exacerbate that longer-term problem. The operators also want to have a level playing pitch. Again, we have seen coverage in recent days of the patchiness with which vaccination certificates are being requested at certain premises and also of where they are not being requested at all. Operators want to have an input into this process because they want to demonstrate that their sector is safe. Frustratingly, from what I have seen and from what I have been told by those I have spoken to in the sector, we had much media and PR coverage of the pilot opening of nightclubs conducted on 30 September. Antigen testing was used at that pilot event, but since then, however, we have heard nothing about what was learned from the pilot opening. Interestingly, suggestions about using antigen testing at nightclubs seem to have disappeared off the radar.

The other critical reason that we need to see the detail of this review is because community dance halls hosting social and big band dances believe their model of operation is going to be decimated because they are now being forced to sell tickets in advance to allow people to gain access. It totally goes against the grain of how they operate. To summarise, I would like to hear the concrete detail about how this review will be conducted, when we are going to see it published and who will be involved in that process.