I welcome the opportunity to address the Chamber in regard to the 2021 Estimates of €1.082 billion for my Department, and to provide details of the substantial measures to support and strengthen the sectors for which I have responsibility, facilitated by this increased funding. The diverse range of sectors served by my Department have been among those most severely impacted upon by the Covid-19 pandemic. Employing many hundreds of thousands across the country, these are the sectors that thrive when people congregate to enjoy their leisure time together. They were the first to close as a result of the pandemic and they are likely to be among the last to return to full operation in the future. Our cultural institutions and theatres, our tourism destinations, pubs and restaurants, our sporting occasions and our Gaeltacht communities have all been severely hit since March. Many are shut or massively curtailed, yet these activities are the very ones which bring us all happiness and which are crucial for our physical and mental well-being.