Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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184. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he is considering making it permissible for shoe stores to offer appointments for sizing children's feet under public health restrictions. [15350/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I understand this is an incredibly difficult time for families and businesses across the country and I would like to thank them for their efforts at this difficult time. By each of us following the spirit of the rules and working together we can hopefully ease some restrictions soon.

S.I. No. 701 of 2020 Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (COVID-19) (No. 10) Regulations 2020 and S.I. No. 4 of 2021 Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (COVID-19) (No. 10) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 () clearly sets out the temporary restrictions under Level 5. A list of essential services can be found at and the list of essential retail outlets at Level 5 can be found at .

Under Level 5, only essential retail outlets will remain open and all measures in Level 5 will stay in place until at least April 5 2021. Further information can be found on .

COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021 - The Path Ahead  which can be found on , sets out the approach to the next phase, which is subject to ongoing review and taking into account the evolving epidemiological situation. All decisions taken by Government on the timing of any lifting of restrictions are informed by the public health advice at the time.

Level 5 does not restrict people from purchasing any product, it does however restrict people from physically going into non-essential stores. This is to stop people making unnecessary journeys, congregating and browsing for non-essential goods, to limit the spread of the virus. Under the current temporary restrictions while click and collect from non-essential retail outlets is no longer permitted, click or phone and delivery can continue.

Retailers can and have made arrangements, on compassionate grounds, for individual customers to urgently purchase a non-essential item in store. This is only in exceptional circumstances where it is not possible to plan ahead and avail of remote ordering services such as in emergencies, e.g., admission to hospital.

We are asking retailers to exercise their best judgement and common sense on a case by case basis, to ensure those requiring urgent access to a non-essential item are accommodated.

Minister English has met regularly with Retail Forum members and representatives from the retail grocery and distribution sector to continuously assess adherence to the public health restrictions.

The Government has introduced a wide range of supports to help businesses impacted by the COVID-19 crisis and they can be found on the Department’s website .

It is important to monitor gov.ie for the latest information, public health advice and guidelines from Government in relation to COVID-19.