Vol. 465 No. 6
14 Mrs. O'Rourke asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the identifiable weaknesses, if any, that have been tackled in respect of the operational programme for tourism; and the weaknesses, if any, that are still prevalent in view of the fact that the mid-point of the operational programme for tourism has been reached. [10251/96]
The Government specifically identified two major weaknesses which could be addressed in the context of the current operational programme in order to capitalise on the benefits of a vibrant and expanding tourism sector.
First, the Irish tourism product in terms of range, standards and facilities is still deficient compared to competitors. In short, there is a need for more leisure options to attract international visitors. A strong focus on weather-independent tourism facilities is required. Second, the tourism industry remains highly seasonal, necessitating the development of tourism products suitable for year-round business.
The operational programme aimed to address these weaknesses by putting in place substantial investment, the strategic emphasis of which has been targeted at developing a new and improved product base, including weather-independent facilities, and expanded and more focused marketing and training.
The Operational Programme for Tourism 1994-99 is building on the partnership between the public and private sectors initiated under the last operational programme. The strategy pursued under this programme will assist the further development of the tourism sector in Ireland by concentrating on a large expansion in marketing activities, further product development to meet specific market deficiencies, major improvements in the conference, angling and cultural tourism products, and an expansion in the range and scale of training to cater for anticipated employment growth.
In the assessment and selection of projects for European Regional Development Fund support, the product development management boards are mindful of gaps in Ireland's tourism product portfolio which need to be filled as previously outlined. In addition, the present operational programme for tourism will undergo a thorough evaluation by independent consultants later this year as part of the mid-term review of the Community Support Framework.
Who are the consultants? Are they Irish or are they part of the European gravy train? I am not demeaning consultants, but there are too many consultancy reports on various matters. Consultancy can be seen as a recipe for inactivity. Will the Minister give more detail on the important point he made in the first part of his reply about more leisure options? Will he comment on the failure of the Government to support the World Equestrian Games, which was a leisure option? Can the Minister of State tell the House why RTE is not televising the Irish women's golf open, which is another leisure option? This competition is supported by the Guardian insurance company and Bord Fáilte. Will the Minister of State explain why the Olympic Games are not being located in Ireland on the basis of large schemes and proposals in that regard? In the context of more leisure options, is it intended to construct a 50-metre swimming pool and to locate it in Dublin city or county?
Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, a colleague of Deputy Andrews, tabled a separate question about the World Equestrian Games. If he studies the Order Paper, I am sure Deputy Andrews will see it.
There is a mechanism whereby I can submit questions——
There is a simple mechanism. The Deputy should read the clár.
I put Deputy O'Keeffe's name on the question. The Minister knows the rules and that I can table only a certain number of questions.
Members should not speak from a seated position.
The Deputy should be gracious enough to wait until we come to that question.
The Minister of State is terrified he will have to answer a question.
I am not. The Deputy is being most unfair and it ill becomes him. There is a question in the name of Deputy Batt O'Keeffe and I will have no bother in answering it.
Answer it.
I will not because there is a separate question on the clár in the name of another Deputy. The Deputy should read it.
The Minister of State has not answered my question. I concede that there is a question in the name of my colleague, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe——
Which the Deputy submitted.
Yes, because the rules of the House did not allow me to table all 60 questions in my name.
The Deputy is beginning to sound like Sebastian Coe, a Member of another House.
I am very honoured. One of my greatest regrets in life was my lack of athleticism. I am very jealous of Sebastian Coe.
We have something in common then.
For the information of the Minister of State, that is the reason the question is in the name of Deputy Batt O'Keeffe. The Minister of State mentioned the leisure options. What does he have in mind?
They include angling, cultural tourism, equestrian events other than the one mentioned by the Deputy, horseriding, hiking and abseiling. There are many options open to us to attract people to this country in the off-season.
The Minister of State is correct and I strongly support him. What he said about the leisure options in the off-season is welcome. He should make some comment about the World Equestrian Games, but I presume he will wait until we reach Question No. 29.
The Minister of State has correctly identified the weaknesses in the Irish tourism product, but the question relates to the way they are being tackled. Does he share my concern that the pace of development under the operational programme for tourism is extremely slow and that that is the reason we are failing to address the weaknesses he identified?
At £1.5 billion, of which £800 million has been provided by the private sector, with the remainder from Europe, the extent of investment to date has been impressive. This is a substantial sum. We are addressing the problem and it is now beginning to bear fruit. I have no doubt that the figures for this year will demonstrate clearly that the investment was worth while and successful.
