I recently met with a group of small business owners, mostly restaurateurs, based in my own constituency in south inner-city Dublin and in surrounding areas. They outlined to me the many challenges facing their sector and their concerns about potential closures, job losses and the loss of vibrancy in Dublin city centre and other urban city centres if the challenges for small businesses, particularly in hospitality, are not addressed by the Government. I was glad to have the Minister's engagement on some of the issues in respect of the warehoused tax repayment plan and I welcomed his announcement of flexibility from Revenue this week. That is welcome. However, he has acknowledged that key issues remain, particularly with regard to the availability of staff and labour. Will he therefore consider amending the stamp 2 visa scheme to enable people to seek greater levels of employment in the sector? Has the Government conducted any assessment of the affordability of the work permit scheme for smaller enterprises? These are some of the really serious issues raised with me by small businesses in the hospitality sector. I acknowledge the immense contribution these businesses make to the vibrancy of our urban centres.

It is undoubtedly the case that cafés and restaurants add a great deal to the character of our cities, towns and villages. We want them to be viable and to support them. The Government has been very supportive of the sector over recent years and that has been acknowledged. Labour availability is a challenge. We have unemployment of approximately 4.5%. That is a good news story. Our country is essentially at full employment. Our colleagues in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment are constantly reviewing the employment permit system. There is a plan to move towards an integrated single application for the visa and the permit. That is an important reform. It is complex and will take time but it is important work that will help to bring the labour we need into Ireland in a more time-efficient way.