Vol. 440 No. 7
14 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade if he has abandoned the commitment in the Programme for Partnership Government to compulsory registration for all accommodation following his recent statement at the Irish Hotels Federation seminar in Waterford.
48 Mr. Fox asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the position regarding the registration of all tourist accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
52 Mr. Harte asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade if he has abandoned the commitment in the Programme for Partnership Government for compulsory registration for all accommodation following his recent statement at the Irish Hotels Federation seminar in Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
55 Mr. Barrett asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade if he has abandoned the commitment in the Programme for Partnership Government for compulsory registration for all accommodation following his recent statement at the Irish Hotels Federation seminar in Waterford.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 14, 48, 52 and 55 together.
The Deputies will be aware from replies which I already made to parliamentary questions on this subject that I favour using a carrot rather than a big stick approach. I would like to see the greatest possible number of tourist accommodation premises within one listing system which assures quality to the tourist. I believe that this should be based on a voluntary approach to the maximum degree possible.
A compulsory registration system would entail significant administration costs and the introduction of a compulsory system would only be justified by very perusasive arguments. Compulsory registration would imply penalties — fines or imprisonment — for the provision of unregistered accommodation; I am not prepared to go that way.
The quality of accommodation in both approved and unapproved categories has risen dramatically, over recent years. Competition is driving the quality upwards and I would like to maintain competition as the spur to further progress.
I agree essentially with the carrot rather than the big stick approach in regard to many small bed and breakfast operations. There is a great need for them and a desire that they should be in place. Nevertheless, there is an anomaly regarding the accommodation that has to be approved. Will the Minister clarify the exact size of bed and breakfast accommodation for which approval is required? Many local authorities are now asking whether planning permission is required for bed and breakfast accommodation, on which there are various opinions.
I am aware of the problem to which Deputy Fox referred. There is confusion in some local authorities concerning the size of premises for which planning permission is required. My colleague, the Minister for the Environment, will shortly bring a Bill before the House which will deal with that problem and which will specify that if the rooms exceed a certain number planning permission will be required.
Is the Minister's statement a reversal of the stated policy in the Programme for Government that all accommodation would have to be registered? Does the Minister have the support of the industry in regard to his policy for non-registered accommodation? In regard to the carrot approach does the Minister think it should be made easier for people to register and that the philosophy should be that you get what you expect?
By the end of the year I hope to bring forward proposals which will encourage as many premises as possible to be in one unified system, at whatever level that may be. In an ideal world, everyone would be registered and listed but the market levels out these matters. Having studied the matter and having had the Department of Finance analysis unit study the matter, it is clear it would not be worth while to impose compulsory registration now. I will bring forward proposals which I hope will encourage the majority of people to register and to be graded at some level. That is the idea of the carrot approach and we will see how it works before going down the road of the big stick.
