Too early to say if staycations can happen this summer, says Paschal Donohoe

Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, Mr Donohoe said any advice issued on staycations would be contingent on public health guidelines, and that the Government would give the Irish holiday sector “good notice” so they could plan and prepare, if necessary. File Picture: iStock

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has said that it is too early to say whether staycations will be possible this summer.

He said the Government is hoping to give clarity on the issue of domestic summer travel within the next few weeks.

Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, Mr Donohoe said any advice issued on staycations would be contingent on public health guidelines, and that the Government would give the Irish holiday sector “good notice” so they could plan and prepare, if necessary.

“With so many families, holiday plans at home and definitely abroad have been booked and rebooked and changed so many times over the last 12 months,” he said.

"Will we be able to travel across our country during the summer? It does depend on where we’re going to be with the disease, and we will do our best to give plenty of notice to those in our hospitality sector, and then of course to families and potential domestic tourists. 

“I can’t answer that question for you today,” he said.

Covid payment supports

Finance Minister, Paschal Donohoe. File Picture: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie

On the issue of Covid support payments, the minister said the Government would reach a formal decision on payment extensions “very, very soon.” 

The minister said that the supports had cost approximately €2.25 billion to date and that the schemes were necessary to protect jobs and to ensure that the economy could recover.

While the supports had increased the national debt significantly, Mr Donohoe said the country’s credit worthiness and ability to borrow at very low interest rates justified the borrowing to protect jobs.

He said that new national wage agreement was important to recognise the “great work” of frontline workers and would avoid “competing wage claims.” 

If the agreement was reached it would recognise claims and avoid the “vista” of “wage claim after claim.”