Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 April 2021
95. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will provide a roadmap for the reopening of the tourism sector; the enterprise supports that will be maintained into 2022; the up-to-date work of her Department to support the tourism sector as a result of Covid-19; the status of the recommendations of the Recovery Oversight Group for Tourism; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21972/21]
View answerWith regard to the reopening dates for different sectors of the economy, in line with the plan set out in The Path Ahead and after taking full account of the current status of COVID-19 in the community and the public health advice, the Government has been implementing a limited phased easing of some Level 5 restrictions through the month of April. The Government is due to make further decisions and announcements shortly regarding the position to apply for May and beyond, with a view to facilitating the safe reopening of more services as the public health situation permits. These decisions are the collective responsibility of Government and are made by Cabinet, on foot of advice from NPHET and the Minister for Health. This cautious approach is due to continue until a substantial level of vaccination has been achieved, at which point we hope to move to reopen our society more widely.
I am committed to continuing support for tourism through this difficult period and to working towards reopening and recovery and have regular engagement with the sector on these issues. Together with horizontal measures introduced by Government, such as the EWSS and the CRSS, the sector-specific measures I have introduced have been key in helping tourism businesses to survive and employees to remain engaged in the sector. Government has made it clear that there will be no 'cliff-edge' end to supports. As part of the National Economic Recovery Plan, we will be outlining how we will help people return to work and further support sectors which have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Government will consider more targeted measures to help reboot those sectors, such as tourism, which will face particular challenges during the recovery phase when the economy reopens.
The Recovery Oversight Group presented its first report to me in February, setting out progress to date in the implementation of the Recovery Plan submitted by the Tourism Recovery Taskforce as well as areas it identified as requiring attention. It also produced a detailed report setting out progress to date with the implementation of recommendations in the Recovery Plan. The Oversight Group noted and welcomed the progress that has been made in implementing the Recovery Plan to date, both in terms of the broader employee and business supports and the tourism-specific measure I have introduced. The reports produced by the Group can be accessed on www.gov.ie/tourismrecoverytaskforce, this includes the latest progress report from the Group.
