asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport the amount of tourist revenue now expected to be lost as a consequence of the rod licence controversy.
21.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Angling Tourism Revenue.
12.
asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport if he will give an estimate of the tourism revenue lost to date arising out of the imposition of rod angling licence fees.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 21 together.
There are at this stage no firm estimates available of revenue from angling tourism either to date or for the year as a whole.
It is very strange, to say the least, that the Minister is not in a position to give estimates at present because the question has been tabled for four days, Bord Fáilte have had sufficient time in which to come up with some kind of an estimate and, furthermore, the dispute in the angling sector on account of the rod licence problem has been going on for some time. I had expected that the Minister would give a quantitative answer to the question on the Order Paper today. I find it very strange he is not in a position to do so. Is there no figure at all the Minister can give the House in terms of lost revenue accrued to date arising out of the imposition of the rod licence fee?
If the Deputy examined his statement I think he would find a lack of logic in it because it is precisely if nothing was happening to militate against the angling part of the tourism industry that one could give assessments but because there has been some trouble there is a difficulty in so assessing. That dictated the terms of my answer.
The hotel bookings that have been cancelled must surely be a basis on which it is possible for Bord Fáilte and the Minister to gather information of this kind. We know that hotel bookings have been cancelled at a phenomenal rate during the past several weeks because of the rod licence problem and that fact alone should have given the Minister a basis on which to produce statistics which would give an indication of the numbers of people who have failed to come who would otherwise have come and, consequently, give an estimate of the revenue that has been lost in the tourism area.
The only statistic I can give in that regard is that in 1986 we earned £32 million from angling tourism.
How far into the angling season are we at this point in time and, given that it has been very disrupted, is it likely that we have lost a large part of that revenue at this point of the season?
No, I would not agree with that.
I was just asking a question.
The salmon season started on 1 January but so far as trout angling is concerned, the mayfly, the real glory season, is in full swing at present.
A Ceann Comhairle——
I want to call Deputy Pat McCartan.
Would the Minister agree that there are at least strong indications that considerable losses have occurred to date? Whether that can be redressed is another question. May I ask the Minister if the Tourism Task Force have in any way communicated to him on the problem and how the haemorrhage of losses of money might be rectified?
No, the Tourism Task Force got a specific brief, which is to advise my Department and Bord Fáilte on how the £4 million extra provided in the budget should be spent.
In relation to the first part of my question, would the Minister agree that there is at least an indication if nothing more?
The indications I have been getting for the past few days — and the Deputy can read this in the newspapers — are that the anglers are flooding in.
In relation to the loss of revenue, may I ask the Minister whether, if revenue was currently being collected, the bailiffs would be active on the lakes today?
In relation to Questions Nos. 12 and 21, these are purely statistical questions and I cannot allow an expansion thereof, especially relating to a matter which is sub judice.
I am not——
The Deputy may not argue with the Chair on that basis.
I do not wish to argue with the Chair; I want to ask a question in relation to the loss of revenue.
That is not my Department. That is the Department of the Marine.
The Minister was very eloquent on the radio on Saturday when he claimed that the bailiffs were active. Are they active today?
We are dealing with statistics here and nothing else.
It is clear that the Minister is not going to mislead the House.
Question No. 13, Deputy Austin Deasy's question.