Pubs and restaurants are in line for extra cash to get them through another Covid winter.
Enterprise Minister Leo Varadkar has promised that financial supports for businesses and workers in the hospitality sector will likely be increased again.
Unfortunately this indicates that the Government is preparing the ground for possible further restrictions on hospitality to stop people socialising this Christmas.
The industry has been decimated after new restrictions introduced last month saw most businesses report mass cancellations of Christmas functions.
And it’s feared more could be on the way when the Government acts on new NPHET advice.
Mr Varadkar was asked by Social Democrats co-leader, Catherine Murphy, if he could help a sector that is on its knees because of Covid.
She said: “They can’t afford to keep the doors open.”
Ms Murphy asked for a commitment that the Government would help out.
Mr Varadkar replied: “I will give that commitment here today, how we realise that commitment and what form it takes will depend on the advice we receive from NPHET.
“It didn’t make sense for us as a Government to announce a set of supports on Tuesday, only to receive advice from NPHET on Thursday, and then change it again on Friday.
“It made sense to wait and see what the advice from NPHET is and we will do that.
“I want to acknowledge the truth in what you said, that even though we haven’t closed any businesses, people are voting with their feet and a huge number of bookings have been cancelled in restaurants and bars, huge numbers of parties have been cancelled and events.
“People are even cancelling trips away around the country and abroad and that is having a significant economic impact on those businesses and workers.
“But what exactly we do in relation to EWSS, CRSS, PUP, commercial rates, all of those things, has to be clarified.
“And we’re at that point where we will be able to make decisions in the next couple of days.”
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