My question is on the minds of many people in Dublin, Ireland and beyond these shores. What can be done to avert the demise of Bewley's cafes? I was sitting in Bewley's the other day thinking of the Taoiseach's recent description of himself as a socialist. He also referred to how he valued the Botanic Gardens because he felt he owned them and he valued Dublin Zoo in a similar vein. If he were in the Great Southern Hotel in Killarney or Parknasilla, he would have the same warm feeling of being part of the action and part of the ownership.

The Crown Bar in Belfast is effectively in public ownership. It is owned by the National Trust and managed by Bass Ireland, which the Taoiseach will be delighted to hear. The National Trust made a decision to purchase that exotic property in 1978 with the encouragement of Sir John Betjeman, the late Poet Laureate. The work carried out on the property in 1981 cost £400,000. The bar was restored to what is regarded internationally as a visual gem and it is a major tourist attraction.

Will the Taoiseach acknowledge the intrinsic value of Bewley's cafés, which face the prospect of becoming clothes shops on Grafton Street? He earlier referred to how interested he is in heritage. Bewley's is not only a café but it is "Dublin's front room", as one journalists described it. It is on the site of the school attended by Robert Emmet, Thomas Moore, Richard Sheridan and the Duke of Wellington. The café has been frequented by Joyce, Behan, Flann O'Brien and Mary Lavin. Will the Taoiseach consider the possibility of the Government entering an arrangement to ensure the café can continue as a social amenity and viable business, given that is an immense asset to the city as well as the State? He should not listen to everything the Tánaiste tells him.

The Taoiseach does not have as much time as I do.

The effect on the staff is the issue that upsets everybody most. Bewley's has a hard working staff and many people have given significant service. It is a sad day for them as they have given their working lives to the cafe. Both the Westmoreland Street and Grafton Street branches are Dublin institutions but they will close later. Regrettably, despite the best endeavours of the staff, the cafés have been losing significant money for the Campbell family.

Send in Willie Walsh.

The business is not viable, as outlined by the family.

It is not viable because of property speculators against whom the Taoiseach would not move.

The buildings are listed and they cannot be desecrated in the manner mentioned by Deputy Sargent. However, it is sad, even at a time of significant consumer spending and given the availability of many leisure facilities, that the cafés have not been able to survive commercially. My thoughts are with the staff who have done their best.

I agree with Deputy Sargent regarding the old Quaker tradition of Bewley's and I respect the people who did a great deal through the generations there, which is of major significance. Unfortunately, the operation has not able to survive, which is regrettable.

I share the Taoiseach's concern for the staff. However, is he happy to see Grafton Street becoming an alleyway for global brands? Will they continue to serve both tourism and the economy generally in the same way Bewley's did down the years? Given that pension funds are being invested overseas, in some cases dubiously, does such an institution not warrant the investment the State could bring to bear, given that the Taoiseach thought it worthy to invest €50 million in Farmleigh House? It is an expensive bed and breakfast at that price. Does Bewley's not have a more legitimate claim on State investment? Such investment is not unique and it has been successful internationally. Would the Taoiseach be open to discussions with the owners and others who have campaigned to franchise the cafés or use them to promote the history and culture in Dublin? If Farmleigh House is justifiable, why not Bewley's?

I accept the Deputy is raising this issue because Bewley's is an institution and I share some of his views on Grafton Street. It is an important street in our capital and it should be maintained to the highest standards. I have commented on the staff but the concept of the Government joining in to run Bewley's is not something we could seriously do or support.

We do not want the Taoiseach to make the coffee but——

The Taoiseach, without interruption.

We must be realistic. Bewley's is a commercial entity but the premises will have a different life and they have been preserved for the future. My thoughts are with the staff members but it will not be Bewley's as we have known it.

Why Farmleigh and not Bewley's?