Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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248. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the fact that many hoteliers that have not met the criteria for the restart grant find themselves in a situation in which they have no access to supports other than Covid-19-related loan schemes, which would put them into more debt; his plans to address this problem that affects many in the tourism industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15607/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Programme for Government contains a commitment that the Government will publish a series of immediate actions to support the economy - the "July Stimulus". In this context the Government will, among other things, consider further additional measures that may be needed to support the tourism and hospitality sector.

My Department has liaised with other Government departments and industry representative bodies, to align the economy wide COVID-19 supports and initiatives with tourism and hospitality needs. The Government will continue to explore funding potential for all enterprises including tourism businesses as they work through the challenges facing them, including through any mechanisms allowable through the EU’s state aid framework.

My predecessor also established the Tourism Recovery Taskforce on 20th May 2020 to prepare a Tourism Recovery Plan. This will include a set of recommendations on how best the Irish tourism sector can adapt and recover in the changed tourism environment as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. The Taskforce has submitted an initial report.