I move: That, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders— (1) Dáil Éireann hereby appoints a Committee, to be known as the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response (hereinafter referred to as 'the Committee'), to consider and take evidence on the State's response to the Covid-19 pandemic; (2) the membership of the Committee shall not exceed nineteen members, appointed by notice in writing to the Ceann Comhairle as follows: ( a ) the Government, Fianna Fáil, and Sinn Féin shall each be entitled to appoint four member…

I welcome the opportunity to address the House on the impact of Covid-19 on Irish tourism, our plans to support the sector in recovering from that crisis and all other matters pertaining to it. I have addressed the House on a number of occasions to reflect on tourism but never in the circumstances in which the sector now finds itself. It is right and proper that the primary focus of the Government should be on the public health crisis response. Nevertheless, we must also ensure that we do our utmost to help our eco…

Yes. I thank Deputy O'Rourke. On the issue of the task force, it is important that we get it established as quickly as possible and that we get the right people on it. I envisage a triumvirate of representatives of the industry, first and foremost, but also the people with expertise in our agencies as well as a role for the Department. My vision for the task force is that we would have an independent chairperson who would assist the task force to formulate proposals and measures that are very much supportive of and…

I appreciate the importance of the industry in the Deputy's region of the south east. There is huge further potential there. In regard to our plan and our roadmap, which is available since last Friday, the reality is that we are planning in the context of not knowing how this global pandemic will develop. There are a huge number of moving parts. Yes, we want to have our plan ready as early as possible and have it fed into by as many people with the relevant expertise as possible, but it is not quite as simple as pu…

I thank the Deputy. Around this time last year, I was up in his constituency with him and I would dearly love to be able to go back there again. It is a fabulous part of the country with huge potential. Massive progress has been made in recent years and I hope we can drive it further. To answer a couple of the questions the Deputy asked, with regard to VAT my view is that while it is a matter for the Department of Finance primarily, in the current context a 0% VAT rate would be appropriate for the industry. To answ…

We know the system of rates we have traditionally is probably not responsive to the modern economy in certain areas and certainly needs further modernisation. We know as well that those bills are crippling for many enterprises. We talk about remaining competitive but it is very difficult to do so when, before it starts at all, a business has those types of bills to pay. That is why I very much welcome the decision that was made on the scrapping of rates for the initial three months. As stated earlier in response to…

The Destination Towns scheme was an important landmark in terms of how we do tourism. Regional dispersal of tourists was very much at the heart of the thinking behind the scheme. It was, first and foremost, administered by Fáilte Ireland. As an initial attempt in that sphere, it was very positive. It was only in December that the successful towns were announced and, unfortunately, only a matter of weeks later this outbreak occurred. All schemes such as Destination Towns would normally be measured in terms of the ex…

The Deputy is absolutely right. The huge amount of spend by Irish people going abroad to holiday is something that over the years we have been doing our best to tap into more. Our people in Fáilte Ireland do significant work in that regard to try to keep people staying at home - buzzwords we are hearing an awful lot more of lately. That is why, just before this crisis hit us, we launched a new advertising campaign to try to encourage more of that for 2020. Unfortunately, that space has shifted considerably since th…

The Deputy said a great deal-----

-----and some of the questions are primarily for ministerial colleagues. I will relay the questions that are more appropriate for other Ministers directly to them. With regard to the pubs and restaurants, we are open to suggestions from the industry players regarding how they can operate safely and we are engaging with people in the industry to see if this can be done. Speaking as somebody who ran a pub for three years in the past, it is a very difficult environment in which to put in place the social distancing th…

A conversation like this would have been unimaginable just a few short months ago, when we had almost 11 million visitors to the island last year. This is where we are, however. It is important that a task force developing a plan has as much expertise but as few people as possible. The task force needs to be workable but at the same time it needs to have experience. My view is similar to that of Deputy Catherine Murphy in that the perspectives of the various parts of the industry need to be reflected. No part can o…

I will respond first to the question on seasonal workers. While we have had progress regarding people who were on X's and O's at the start of this outbreak, people who had not returned to work were left without the Covid-19 payment. This is something I feel very strongly about. I met many such people in the past three years in my role as a Minister of State. I meet those people who are working on the front line day in and day out through my interaction with hospitality businesses. My father was one of those people …

That will have to be to the fore and it is why we cannot give specifics or certain dates about the return to normality.

I will convey the Deputy's suggestions to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. He primarily deals with aviation issues. I will ask him to follow up. We always have to bear in mind that our airlines are key partners when we talk about the tourism industry. As an island that attracts approximately 11 million people every year, those coming from overseas have to come either by ferry or by air. A well-functioning aviation sector is really important. It is important that we strike a balance in terms of making …

I appreciate the Deputy's interest in this topic and the suggestions he made. We have referred to many of them throughout the course of the debate. I appreciate that everybody is coming at this in good faith in their suggestions and ideas for supports for business. However, we cannot lose sight of the fact that all of these suggestions and elements of assistance for businesses will come at a cost that will have to be paid by somebody. All of that money needs to be paid back, whether by the local authorities or the …

It affects all types of business but, in particular, small peripheral businesses, which tend to be businesses with small cash reserves, which may be the businesses that are slower to attract footfall and revenues into the future. The Deputy is right in terms of being concerned for those businesses. I, too, am concerned for them. The Government has introduced a number of measures across the economy to try to support employers and employees at this time. The Deputy will be aware of the schemes that have been announce…

I welcome the fact that we are having these statements tonight. I express solidarity with the people who have been directly affected by the coronavirus so far, and their families. I also commend the many people in communities who are working at the front line to try to contain the situation. I thank them on behalf of everybody in this House for the work they do. The virus has already brought considerable human suffering and major economic disruption across the globe. According to the latest OECD interim economic as…

I acknowledge the reinstatement of the Ceann Comhairle and in his absence acknowledge the great work he has done over the past four years. I wish him well. He will be the first person to get into the Thirty-fourth Dáil, which, hopefully, will not happen any time too soon. At the moment there is great uncertainty and I hope that can be addressed as well. I welcome all the new Deputies. It is a special day for all of them and their families. Many eminent writers were quoted earlier. I will quote Axl Rose, "Welcome to…

We do not know what exactly will happen here over the next couple of weeks and months, and we do not know yet whether to put the posters in front of or behind the turf in the turf shed but, hopefully, their time in the Thirty-third Dáil will not be too short. I thank in particular the more than 10,000 people in Kerry who gave me their first preference on 8 February and the more than 14,000 who voted to get me elected. I acknowledge their great support. I am hugely grateful and humbled to be returned to Dáil Éireann…