Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 3 Feb 2000

Vol. 513 No. 5

Written Answers. - Tourist Accommodation.

Jim O'Keeffe

Question:

16 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the percentage of the bed and breakfast sector registered or licensed; the incentives, if any, available to those who wish to be licensed; and the proposals, if any, he has to introduce a mandatory system of regulation. [2759/00]

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation (Dr. McDaid)

Under section 9 of the Tourist Traffic Act, 1957, Bord Fáilte is empowered to publish or cause to be published lists of tourism accommodation premises, including bed and breakfast operations, which are not registered, and therefore are not protected, titles under the Tourist Traffic Acts. Consequently the system by which bed and breakfast accommodation is listed is a voluntary one and operators who do not wish to be listed by Bord Fáilte are not prohibited from carrying on their business. However, statutory requirements in areas such as taxation, planning, fire and safety and hygiene, apply to providers of tourist accommodation, whether listed or unlisted.

At present, there are some 4,300 operations which are listed in accordance with the criteria set by Bord Fáilte. Bord Fáilte has no comparable figures of similar accuracy for unlisted accommodation.

Operators, who are listed, experience a number of advantages such as access to official marketing through Bord Fáilte, the Gulliver reservations service and the tourist information office network.

They may also participate at trade and consumer fairs, in advertising, in off-season promotions with tour operators, in trade education programmes, direct mail campaigns and publicity etc.

The issue of mandatory licensing or registration of all tourist accommodation, including bed and breakfasts, has been examined by successive administrations over the years and they have all come to the same conclusion – that any mandatory system, in order to be effective, would require a significant diversion of resources currently devoted to the development of tourism towards administration and policing. This would be particularly burdensome as many accommodation providers only operate for short periods of the year.

In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in the volume and range of tourist accommodation which has enhanced the choice available to tourists. This will allow market forces to weed out accommodation which is not of a sufficiently high standard to meet tourist requirements. In light of developments in the supply of accommodation, I share the view of my predecessors that the introduction of a compulsory licensing system would be an inappropriate use of resources. There is no evidence to support the view that such a system would have any appreciable impact on accommodation standards over and above that brought about by market forces.

I launched a new initiative during 1999 which was targeted primarily at the small listed accommodation provider under which Bord Fáilte is reviewing the branding and overseas marketing of the various groups in this category. I am confident that this initiative will considerably expand the range of assistance and advice offered to the sector, thereby making listing a more attractive proposition.