Budget 2027 Dail Éireann — 2026-05-20 ============================================================ Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (FF), Carlow-Kilkenny What the Deputy has spoken about is really concerning. He can be assured I will go back to the Minister for Finance. I am aware of the importance of local pubs to Irish culture and the Irish economy, particularly in local and rural areas, which we are both from. Recent years have been challenging to the hospitality sector as a whole, particularly through the period of Covid restrictions. We saw huge changes then. However, those years also demonstrated the resilience and adaptability of businesses. Premises enhanced their outdoor areas and introduced food offerings. It was a big thing to see all the new outdoor areas. Premises adapted to changes in socialising behaviour by introducing new ranges of non-alcoholic drinks, for example, embracing coffee culture. Like all businesses, trade is facing challenges from increased costs. The Government is taking steps to alleviate these challenges, primarily through work co-ordinated by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment on the cost of business and an action plan for competitiveness and productivity. It is important that the Government support businesses, particularly indigenous SMEs, in all sectors of the economy. Actions have already been taken to support the hospitality sector, for example, through the VAT reduction to 9%, which will come into effect from July and will be of huge benefit to pubs selling food and hot drinks. The Government is also prioritising measures to help businesses and households with increased energy costs arising from the conflict in the Middle East. This has included reductions in the price of diesel and petrol, extension of the fuel allowance season and measures to support hauliers, bus passengers, operators, farmers, agricultural contractors and fisheries. The Government will continue this focus on supporting businesses across Ireland, including pubs, as we develop options for budget 2027. The Department has received and acknowledged the submission from the Vintners Federation of Ireland outlining a proposal for an on-trade sustainability scheme in budget 2027. I thank the Deputy for highlighting this. He can be assured I will go back to the Minister for Finance to highlight his concerns. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-20/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:47+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-05-20