Tourism Minister Catherine Martin is to bring a suite of new measures to Cabinet to support the hospitality sector which is facing a second summer season of uncertainty.

The 'Irish Examiner' reports to-day that she will encourage her Cabinet colleagues to extend the 9% Vat rate for the sector until 2025 and continue the Stay and Spend scheme until the end of this year.

It comes as the public was warned that "we’re looking at an outdoor summer" by the chair of Nphet’s epidemiological modelling advisory group Philip Nolan.

The Cabinet is to sign off on an updated version of its Living with Covid plan tomorrow, which will focus on getting children back to school before a phased and gradual reopening of other parts of the economy.