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LAST UPDATE | 28 Aug 2020
THE GOVERNMENT HAS announced a €16 million support package for the pubs around the country following the confirmation the they would not be reopening.
Since 29 June, pubs that serve food have been permitted to re-open under strict guidelines, but other pubs have had to remain shut.
They were initially slated to reopen on 10 August but that was pushed back until 31 August. It was confirmed last night that this date was to be pushed back again.
Following this decision, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar announced this evening after a Cabinet meeting that a support package for publicans was to be introduced.
Exact details of the package are yet to be revealed but the Varadkar said they would top-up the restart grant for affected pubs by 40%, waive licence fees and court fees for pubs that remain closed as part of the package.
Varadkar added that the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) was working with the Government on protocols that could allow pubs to re-open in future, if the spread of Covid-19 becomes more limited.
Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath said the package would be worth up to €4,000 for licence holders, and confirmed it would also apply to restaurants, hotels and bars that are already open.
“We all know what they really want is to be allowed to re-open, and that is an issue that the Government will engage with NPHET on,” he said.
Pubs ‘wither on the vine’
Responding to the announcement today, the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) and the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) said: “We asked for support, not sympathy and the Government has given us crumbs.”
“Pubs that are still closed will receive the same level of restart grant as provided to businesses in Kildare, some of whom remained open.
Kildare businesses received a 40% grant for four weeks closure but wet pubs, who will be kept closed for a minimum of six months, will receive the same 40% grant.
“This is paltry gesture which shows how little regard this Government has for the troubles of the pub industry,” said Donall O’Keeffe, Chief Executive of the LVA. “It is disappointing in the extreme.”
Padraig Cribben, CEO of VFI said that the package was “woefully inadequate”.
Our members are facing into an autumn of uncertainty with no guidance from Government about how and when they will be allowed reopen.
Publicans are now in complete despair. They can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel and these supports will do nothing to ease their fears for the future.
“The Government is allowing thousands of pubs wither on the vine and the damage being done to local communities across the country is incalculable,” he said.
The Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) and the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) have previously stated that pubs were being treated differently to other sectors of the economy and that funding was needed if they were to remain closed.
Publicans had called for support including direct financial aid, the maintenance of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment and temporary wage subsidy at current rates for all closed pubs until their reopening and an extension of current licences until September next year.
Speaking earlier this month, Varadkar had said he hoped to announced a support package for pubs and nightclubs if the date for reopening was pushed back further.
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Now for the aviation and travel industry please.
@Paul Potts: only when they pay back all that money they stole from fares that never happened
@Macca Attack: that’s only the airlines, there are so many other jobs lost in tourism too such as travel agents and the likes
@Sam Glynn: travel agents were part of that scam along with holes etc. They got money for nothing
@Macca Attack: #hotels
@Macca Attack: obviously you booked a ryanair flight and a non refundable hotel online and most likely never took out travel insurance. Had you booked that trip with a travel agent you’d have got your money back. You’ve probably sent 100s of emails to airline and hotel and wasted hours of time trying to get your money back. Hope this is a lesson learned.
Travel agents have worked round the clock to get overseas clients home as well as processing all their refunds without earning a penny for their troubles.
No other industry has been more affected by this pandemic.
@Macca Attack: you just don’t have a clue what you’re on about
Read the T&C’s next time perhaps?
@Sam Glynn: travel agents have been closing for years and well before COVID. Easy access to the internet as made them irrelevant.
@Sam Glynn: Anyone booking holidays with a travel agent were being robbed blind……
@Macca Attack: exactly robbing bs
I hope they will stop cribben now and not be trying to get off sales banned.
@Collitov: it was a good response by the vinters association. They don’t want off licences closed in spite. We’re being told cases are rising partially because of house parties/gatherings, which is contributing to pubs not being allowed to open. So the vinters say if that’s the case, then stop alcohol being sold which will limit house parties, reduce cases and help open the pubs. The pubs just want the same opportunity as every other business has had. Calling for off licences to close was never going to be popular.
@John Egan: It was a very poor comment by the vintners and one that is likely to lose them any support that they had. As a mainly home drinker, why should I be stopped having a couple of cans at the weekend because some people are having house parties. By that logic, anything goes when it comes to restricting everything we do, because everything can be argued as contributing to covid risk
Everything can be argued to contributing to Covid risk, some just have more risk than others. Why should publicans be prevented from even the opportunity to open their business because other industries can’t control the spread of the virus. It wasn’t going to be popular and I don’t agree with it either, but I also don’t agree with pubs not even being given the opportunity to open and follow the same restrictions as restaurants/bistros
@John Egan: Nor do I. I think that they should be allowed to open with a maximum number of people allowed per square metre of premises and a 1 or 2 strike rule, break the guidelines and you are shut down.
@John Egan: It was a poor and clumsy attempt to get attention it smacked of begrudgery and I suggest it lost a lot of public good will.
@John Egan: Ir was a poor and clumsy attempt to get attention. It smacked of begrudgery and I suggest lost a lot of symphaty and good will from the public.
Do a deal with a local food producer or cafe/deli to get in cheese or charcuterie boards. Charge €9. Buy a small fridge to keep them in. This supports the cafes and food producers who are also seriously struggling with the downturn and enables you to sell pints and punters to drink them. Innovate or capitulate. Best thing about these is you can serve in cardboard box and the punter can bring home instead of eating if wanted. Because €9 worth of food won’t stop you getting covid 19. But seriously publicans use your cop on.
@Thomas Quinn: so change your business model while under serious financial burden. Do you really think rural pubs can turn no money In 6 months into an investment in local produce (produce which must also be sold elsewhere already). A lot of bars are being creative to survive and have also invested heavily in making social distancing measures a reality. That does not make the above idea practical for business in every situation.
@Lad: the only investment is the fridge. Give the supplier the food trade including delivery. Plenty of thinking publicans have already done this. They get the food money and the publican gets the drink money. 2 business and staff given lifelines through this for minimal effort and cost.
@Thomas Quinn: Or they could serve 4 euros worth of food, charge 9 euro and throw in a free pint.
@Thomas Quinn: you need a licence to sell food, kitchen , inspections etc, a huge investment.
@michael macken: Not needed for delivered food. Eg catering for parties which lots of pubs already get in for functions etc which is what this would be. No kitchen no food prep on premises. No HACCP needed. No inspection as not prepared on the premises. Just the fridge to keep the boxes chilled. And food delivered. Lots of pubs already doing this with local pizza places even before covid.
@Benny McHale: That’s been happening alright with plenty of the ham and cheese toasties joints. Charge €9 and later on the landlord “buys you a pint”. Personally I see nothing wrong with that as long as the distancing, names taken for contact tracing and time limits are adhered to. Like I said. Food does not stop you getting covid.
Some good news for “wet” pubs but the concessions also bring made for pubs acting as restaurants currently open seems like a kick in the teeth for pubs who have been closed for months. The “wet” pubs should be allowed to open, under restrictions similar to pubs operating as restaurants right now. If we end up in lockdown again it won’t be solely because of wet pubs…
@Adam Mulvihill: Well said Adam…why is a payment being given to businesses that were allowed to open????can’t see this going down too well in fairness…expect a u turn any day now.
@Adam Mulvihill: Surely all pubs are “wet”. If it’s a dry pub it’s not a pub!
@Thomas O’ Donnell: A pub with no beer
@Adam Mulvihill: What is a “dry” pub!!!?
During the week Prof Nolan told the Dail committee that the reason Ireland was not following the example of other European countries that have already reopened their pubs, is because of the high population density in Ireland compared to those other European countries.
The attached chart shows that this is garbage, and that in terms of population density Ireland is one of the lowest in Europe, ranking 43rd out of 54 countries from highest to lowest.
This deception from the leader of this unelected quango that now seems to control the country is an outrage.
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/european-countries-by-population-density.html
@Garry Coll: it seems like they absolutely hate pubs.
@Garry Coll: he actually stated that absolute nonsense ?
@Isabel Oliveira:
Check it out for yourself, its on the Oireachtas TV.
The committee hearing went on for about 8 hours.
His comment is at about 5 hours 12 minutes.
@Isabel Oliveira: Yeah, like the garbage you and Garry Coll spout frequently.
@Tom kenny: that’s correct Mehole needs a bogeyman!
@Val Doyle: Clown.
15m. Pittance.
@Robert Clifford: sports bodies got €70m in June. Beef farmers got €50m in June. Not good enough
@Robert Clifford: should depend on your overheads.
@Robert Clifford: Don’t remember them socialising their profits when times were good. Not even a free pint, now they want me and other taxpayers to give them money. Hmmm.
@D’oh: have you ever heard of VAT?
@Brian Renaghan: I’m pretty sure there’s a lot more pubs than there are sports bodies or beef farmers though!?
Close the off licence and open the pubs, see if that works. Aviation and hospitality sector provides customers to pubs so they need to be protected too. A wild Atlantic way without tourism will decimate the west.
@Peter O Donnell: Sorry but wet pubs opened in Europe in the last months have been mostly disasters case wise. It will be no different here.
@Gavin Mckenna: not true, look at Italy, Germany and even the UK. Pubs are open and their cases per 100,000 are much lower than Ireland. No proven case of clusters resulting from pubs
@Derek Farren: yes there is proof. In Ireland, one pub / restaurant had a cluster of 26 cases which was then spread further with one workplace having 10 cases from a person in that pub. That is the reason why they brought in the rules. 26 cases in one pub shows Irish drunks can’t follow basic rules
@John Buckley: did a meat plant not have 200 cases?
@John Buckley: and of course the meat plants are following all the protocols!!! They are responsible for the most recent spikes.
I think that ot is ridiculous that the small pubs cannot open as it would disperse the crowds who are crammed into the so called restaurants.also it would give people who are locked up in their homes a little chance to get out for a chat and a pint to help their mental health
RIP to the irish pub.
Sad day.
Throw more money at it. That’s the answer. Not address the issue that this isn’t a pandemic anymore!!
@Bill: because it has been controlled due to the very measures that are now being lifted. This virus has gone nowhere.
@GrumpyAulFella: Which measures were lifted for the pubs?
In fairness the whole reopening is organised poorly. Direct provision and meat plants were early addressed as issue but still running pretty much the same way.
International travel has strict rules but only for Irish residents. We still welcome tourists. They are only asked to self isolate. While locals would risk welfare or other benefits.
Schools are now open even in Kildare and parents are gathering at the gates to bring/pick up the little ones.
The virus was eradicated from public transmission and still the government has ignored any potential issue which could occur. They could even have opened the pubs when we had the low numbers to give their businesses a small breather and to check the general impact.
I`m not a doctor at all but I see that the gaps which were called out long ago were just ignored.
I cannot see the distinction between pubs that can offer meals and can open and smaller local pubs that cannot open because they don’t serve a meal . It’s one of most idiotic concepts that even existed . A lot of the smaller pubs are in rural areas and are in some cases the only place people socialise . Either open all pubs or shut them all !!!!!
@Mary Mc Carthy: everyone sitting at assigned tables and table service I believe are the primary differences, nothing to major apart from the fundamental infrastructure and business model of the business.
@D Mems: that can also be done in pubs that don’t serve food
@Anne Marie Devlin: it also helps to prevent pub crawling. You’re less inclined to move from pub to pub every 105m if you have to pay €9 at each before you get a pint.
@GrumpyAulFella: Crap seen it in Galway last week. Speaking to some people they were booking in 2 to 3 places. Eating in one, ordering minimum 9 euro meal in others, and sometimes taking it home. They, like us, were having a lovely night out having a bit of craic. Unfortunately we had to leave but at least they had another 105 mins. Before anyone snarks they were not going mad either.
A small but welcome step and Hopefully go some way in supporting individuals and families that have been decimated by the restrictions . We need this industry for so many reasons after the dust has finally settled on this pandemic .
@Conor Flood: 4 grand a pub ….it wouldn’t even help one person never mind a while business.
Some pubs make 4000 on a good Saturday night
This is token nonsense
Support the publicans and sign this petition
https://www.change.org/OpenThePubs
@Luke: it’s doing well now ! Well done .
@Isabel Oliveira: please share wherever you can Isabel
It is crumbs, to be fair. How many pubs will 15m be divided by?
This is insulting. They’re making fun of people’s livelihoods.
Anything for the employees thats out of work for the last 6 mths!!PUP is great…Not!!
@Paul Messitt: ya 350 payment, if out of work due to covid def worth looking up.
@Liam Collins: Thats what we are getting i know that.Sorry but i want to go back to work where i have worked for the last 15 yrs.
@Paul Messitt: sorry to hear that ,hopefully back soon
@Liam Collins:Hope so
So many questions…
15 millions for thousands of wet pubs and they even have to share with restaurants, hotels and bars…
I’m wondering if it was cynical, or ignorant.
That works out at approx 4k each. Hardly a supporr package
A sad day for Ireland let the kids back in school get your hair cut go too the shopping centre restaurants open business open but if you’re not having a pizza with your pint we’ll send the guards in a close you down and as for the pubs that dont serve food Stay closed because ye don’t have an oven covid won’t affect you if ye eat completely p…. sed with this Harry Potter cary on
This “support” can only be term pathetic.
15 million for pubs. 3500 closed to get up to 4g. That’s the 15 mill gone so who pays the open pubs or is this more smoke and mirrors
They should be allowed open as off licence.
A lot of “wet pubs” that don’t have a restaurant licence are already open offering burgers and chips from a nearby chipper.
How have they called for an extension of the Wage Subsidy if they are closed? Maybe you need to correct your article.
Ah, the same alcohol pushers that supported their victims after serving them more gargle for profit without regard for their customers’ welfare, eh?
The wet pubs are going to have to change the way they do business. Realistically they need to find a way to operate within the current guidelines and just get through this.
@padar: opening would be a great start
@padar: Which guidelines? There are none for pubs. The other guidelines we have are all over the place. Do they use 2m or can they allow for 105 minutes 1m?
Nobody bothered to develop any guidelines for pubs in the last 5 months. I`m pretty sure that the publicans would be more than happy to apply anything which is economically possible to be able to survive.
@8-Bit-Relic: the covid-19 guidelines.
Much needed for failte Ireland the pub trade is doing bad due to Covid19.
Aah! to hell with it, why not just introduce prohibition.
Just sayin’…..
Alot of pubs were on the way to closing . Ask anyone who works in a bank . Cash injection from Government isn’t goin to save them . ( plaster on open wound ) . Times are a changing . just sayin .
Maybe crumbs are all we have
Dopes , greedy publicans
How did that Panti wan get to open up she never did food now he orders in burgers and opens his pub only this week???
Most of the wet pubs in our town have improvised and now are dry pubs serving locally cooked food and drink. They are doing ok and able to survive. Maybe that is the way to go.
The day of the wet pubs may be over.
Vradkar is trying to cut down in pubs as he’s a Islam fan. Croke park ect..
have your say