Fianna Fail TDs, Senators and MEPs are in favour of reopening all pubs and restaurants at the same time this summer.
The Parliamentary Party (PP) meeting of the lead Government party heard numerous motions in support of the pubs being treated the same as restaurants tonight.
One motion from Senator Timmy Dooley calling for “a fair reopening of all hospitality businesses together,” a source at the meeting told the Irish Mirror.
Another motion said that any planned outdoor dining should be linked to the capacity of a venue, and not a set limit, such as 15 or 25 people max for all venues.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin addressed the meeting ahead of this week’s crunch lockdown easing decisions, and he said “we need to get the balance right” in relation to easing hospitality restrictions.
But he would not be drawn on a date for reopening pubs, either indoors or outdoors.
He added that motions at PP meetings were “not the right way” to deal with these issues.
Mr Martin promised that hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses, self-catering accommodation - such as AirBnBs - and mobile homes would be reopening in June, which would facilitate staycations from then.
It is understood that June 10 is an optimistic date from which some ministers would like to see these reopenings happen.
Momentum for support for the hospitality industry started to grow from early afternoon when up to 15 TDs and Senators attended a joint briefing from the two lobby groups for publicans in Ireland.
The VFI (Vintners Federation of Ireland), mainly representing the sector outside Dublin, and the LVA (Licensed Vintners Association) of mostly Dublin city publicans, made a joint presentation to try and sway the Fianna Fáilers.
According to one source at the meeting, “it didn’t take much,” and “they were jumping over each other” in offering to bring forward motions at the evening’s PP meeting.
Fianna Fáil would traditionally be seen as the party that backs publicans and hoteliers, particularly from rural areas.
And tonight they showed their renewed backing for the sector.
