Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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210. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if further supports will be made available to protect jobs in the travel agents sector; if a special range of supports are being reviewed; if so, the details of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28180/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I am aware of the serious difficulties arising for Irish licensed travel agents and tour operators in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and the catastrophic collapse of overseas travel and tourism.

The sector continues to benefit from a range of State supports made available for SMEs - including the wage subsidies - and the State is also providing a special financial guarantee under a Refund Credit Note scheme for the sector, which makes the credit notes that licensed travel agent and tour operators issue to their customers a very secure proposition. Credits notes to the value of €17m have already been issued to consumers under the scheme – under which their value is guaranteed by the State - and this is money that the industry would otherwise have had to pay back in cash refunds.

I know that businesses in the sector are looking for more, and the Irish Travel Agents Association has made representations on behalf of its members for additional financial supports in the form of top-ups to business support schemes announced in the July Stimulus. These are being considered.