'Our future matters': Hospitality sector says no hope given in revised plan

A street cleaner passes a closed pub in Dublin city centre. Picture: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie

The hospitality sector has expressed disappointment that tonight's Living with Covid announcement from the Taoiseach does not include a clear path to reopening for the hard-hit sector.

There are currently around 150,000 people from the hospitality sector receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) which will now be extended until June 30.

Tánaiste and Enterprise Minister Leo Varadkar says he feels for the thousands of people who are currently on the PUP and other schemes.

"All of us in Government know how hard this is. We know how worried you are about the future and I hear your desire for clarity and regret that we cannot give it to you yet.

"What I can say is that the safety net that is in place will be continued and will be strengthened."

But the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) has said that the extension of existing supports do not go far enough.

It said it is unacceptable that there was no information provided on what metrics will be used to determine reopening dates for hospitality.

Adrian Cummins CEO of the RAI said the sector is tiring and running out of money.

Businesses need to be able to see signs of the end goal, he said.

If we are all in this together why are we; the public, businesses and employees not being informed of the plan for reopening sectors?

"What metrics are being used, be they vaccinated people, hospital admissions, the R number? What do we all, as a society need to work towards to safely reopen again?

"Until that day what meaningful supports will be offered to businesses who simply cannot trade and are keeping banks and landlords at bay?"

The Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) said there was no hope given in the revised plan to those currently on PUP.

It said that by the time the Government come to review the restrictions on April 5 many pubs will have been closed for more than a year.

According to the LVA, of the 750 pubs in Dublin, 250 of them have not traded a single day since they were ordered to close on March 15 last year.

Donall O'Keeffe, Chief Executive of the LVA, said that while he hadn't expected any specific dates to be provided today there needs to be an indication that things are moving in the right direction and "a light at the end of the tunnel".

"The hospitality sector, which currently has 150,000 staff on PUP, is not an inconvenience which the Government can sweep under the carpet.

"Our future matters to the future well-being of our society and our economy, particularly to the families and staff dependent on this sector."

Mr O'Keeffe called for an increase in the level of financial supports for the hospitality sector.

"There needs to be an immediate doubling of Covid Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) payments, extension of the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) to the end of 2021 and the waiving of commercial rates for the rest of the year.

"These supports are essential in ensuring these businesses can survive and reopen when it is safe to do so."

The Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) said the lack of clarity will prolong the anxiety for over 7,000 publicans, their families and their staff.

VFI Chief Executive Padraig Cribben said it was incredible Micheál Martin did not signal what would happen in regards to hospitality in the future given his previous comments that the sector would remain shut until mid-summer.

The Taoiseach says he knows people are sick of lockdown but the complete absence of any hope for the pub sector undermines his warm words.

Mr Cribben described today as a missed opportunity and said it left them scrambling around in the dark.

Elaina Fitzgerald Kane, President of the Irish Hotels Federation, said this evening that the Government is in denial in relation to the supports required.

Ms Kane says current supports are wholly inadequate given the prospect that the all-important summer period will be eroded.

"Over 160,000 people have been laid off temporarily and many feel they are being left behind and, in fact, that we are no longer ‘in this together’.

"We have been repeatedly told that there will be no 'cliff edge' yet a piecemeal approach is being taken that does not recognise the challenges being faced including those involved in reopening businesses."

She warned: "A failure to support the industry now will have ramifications for the future of Ireland’s tourism offering and for the economy that could take decades to remedy."