John Connor
Question:8 Mr. Connor asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the plans, if any, he has to license or regulate all guesthouse/bed and breakfast premises or other such accommodation advertised to the public in this country.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Unregistered Tourist Accommodation.
Alan M. Dukes
Question:20 Mr. Dukes asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade if he intends introducing legislation to require the licensing of tourist accommodation in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Michael Lowry
Question:37 Mr. Lowry asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the proposals, if any, he has in relation to unregistered bed and breakfast accommodation; if he intends to introduce a new category to cater for these; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Bernard Allen
Question:41 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the proposals, if any, he has in relation to unregistered bed and breakfast accommodation; if he intends to introduce a new category to cater for these; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Charles Flanagan
Question:46 Mr. Flanagan asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade if he intends introducing legislation to require the licensing of tourist accommodation in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 20, 37, 41 and 46 together.
It is desirable to achieve the most extensive possible registration of all tourist accommodation to support the maintenance of quality standards in this sector. My Department is conducting a detailed examination of the various options involved with a view to identifying how best to achieve this objective. Consultations are taking place with interested parties on aspects of the issues involved, such as the role of planning authorities in the light of a relevant Bord Pleanála decision earlier this year.
Pending the completion of this exercise I am not in a position to say how exactly the matter will finally be dealt with. I can assure all interested parties, however, that all aspects of this complex question will be taken into account and I will make an appropriate announcement in due course.
May I remind the Minister that it is stated in the Programme for Government under the heading "Accommodation" that all tourist accommodation will require to be licensed or registered in accordance with objective standards? It would appear that the Minister is a long way from achieving that objective. As the Minister is probably aware, last year the Northern Ireland authorities introduced regulations under which all bed and breakfast establishments, guesthouses and so on, must be licensed. Perhaps these could be used as a model.
There are as many opinions on this matter as Deputies in this House. As the Deputy said, a commitment was given in the Programme for Government that all tourist accommodation will require to be licensed or registered in accordance with objective standards. We have made inquiries and undertaken some research in this regard. I have also asked the officials of my Department to carry out a review along with officials from other Departments. This is a complex matter. Under the Tourist Traffic Acts Bord Fáilte is empowered to register hotels, guesthouses, holiday and youth hostels, holiday cottages, holiday apartments, holiday camps and caravan and camping parks. It is also empowered to list or approve town and country homes and bed and breakfast establishments. If we were to enforce a licensing regime in respect of bed and breakfast establishments, additional legislation would be required. There would be pros and cons in doing this. I have met various organisations which would argue, as Deputy Connor said, that all establishments should be licensed. They are of the view that those who are not licensed do not have to pay registration fees or meet the minimum standards laid down, are probably not paying tax or are members of any organisations. On the other hand, there are arguments against compulsory registration. For instance, would this make any difference in terms of quality? Would it lead to a serious reduction in our accommodation bank and would Bord Fáilte be able to police a larger bank? As I have said before, I do not intend to have an army of enforcers to hound Mr. and Mrs. Smith or Mr. and Mrs. Murphy or those who may take in a guest for a week or two in peak season. We have enough legislation as it is on the Statute Book and armies of policemen, civil servants and public agents dealing with it. I intend to bring forward proposals shortly but, as I have said, for better or worse, it is not my intention to hound out of existence people living in County Kildare or County Roscommon. Far too many establishments are unregistered but despite what the experts, including the State agencies, want it is not my intention to introduce a strict scheme.
Would the Minister agree that it would be far better if all establishments had to be licensed in terms of standards?
Yes, it would.
The vast majority of complaints relate to unregistered and unlicensed premises. Does the Minister's Department have any information — I take it that some, but perhaps not too scientific, surveys have been carried out — on the number of approved or unapproved establishments? I am aware that two years ago in the Cork-Kerry region a survey was carried out which showed that the ratio of unapproved as against approved establishments was two to one. Would the Minister agree that this is unsatisfactory?
I agree with the Deputy in that regard and I have some figures which may be of interest to him. Approximately 3,600 Irish homes are listed by Bord Fáilte. These include town houses, country homes and farmhouses which are referred to as bed and breakfast operations. No precise figures are available for the number of unapproved establishments but it is estimated that between 4,000 and 7,000 are engaged in this activity. It is my intention to reduce these figures to manageable proportions. The present position is unsatisfactory. The Deputy is correct when he says that it would be better if everybody providing accommodation was registered but, as I said, it is my intention to reduce the ratio significantly during my term of office.
Would the Minister concur that one of the reasons many establishments are unregistered is that the vast majority have been unable to obtain any assistance from State agencies and that under the operational programme for tourism and the business expansion scheme the accommodation provided was at the upper end of the market? Would the Minister consider the possibility of providing some assistance under the next operational programme for tourism to those providing low cost family accommodation for which there is a significant market at present? No grant assistance is available from any State agency for the smaller hotels and guesthouses which offer that kind of accommodation. If such assistance was available, we would encourage more people to provide registered and licensed accommodation.
There is a separate question on the Order Paper relating to that matter which has been tabled by his colleague on his right.
If there is, let us not anticipate the reply now.
Would the Minister agree that any universal registration and licensing system would entail significant administration, regulation and inspection costs? Would he further agree that instead of imposing these costs on the community any such scheme should be self-financing and the best way to achieve this is by using a carrot instead of a stick and giving approved licence holders a leg up in commercial terms over unapproved establishments rather than by introducing a compulsory system? Would the Minister agree, in view of the answers he has given today, that whoever included that in the Programme for Government did not think the implications through very carefully?
I agree with the Deputy; that is the way I intend to proceed. My Department, together with the Department of Finance, has carried out a study and I intend to bring forward proposals shortly. As the Deputy said, I intend to use a carrot before producing the big stick. If we were to introduce a scheme whereby each unapproved guest-house or bed and breakfast establishment would have to register, the cost would far outweigh the benefits to be gained.
So we will not have a Bord Bia?
No.
What timeframe does the Minister have in mind?
I call on Deputy Deenihan for a final question.
Given that the industry is seasonal, would the Minister consider introducing a temporary licence to allow people provide bed and breakfast accommodation during the summer?
As I said, I intend to bring forward proposals shortly but that option can be considered. A considerable amount of work was done during the summer and we will present our ideas shortly.