Vol. 518 No. 3
59 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if he will make a statement on his recent address to the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation; the particular proposals he has to combat the negative impact of litter on the tourism market in view of his remarks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11495/00]
67 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the information, if any, he has to suggest that the effects of litter have a negative impact on the tourism industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11496/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 59 and 67 together.
While ministerial responsibility for the litter issue lies with the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, I have consistently drawn public attention to the fact that litter can have a negative impact on our tourism industry.
Preliminary results from Bord Fáilte's visitor attitude surveys for 1999 show a significant increase in the number of overseas visitors mentioning litter as an aspect of an Irish holiday they found to be either unsatisfactory or in need of improvement. Overall, whereas expectations of overseas holidaymakers were either matched or exceeded in over 90% of cases, amongst the minority for whom their expectations were not met, litter was mentioned by 12% last year compared to 8% in 1997.
The Litter Pollution Act is now being implemented in an increasingly proactive fashion by an increasing number of local authorities. I welcome the fact that the Minister has established a national anti-litter forum and that the forum is expected to issue its report in the next month or so outlining strategies to combat litter. Bord Failte is represented on the forum. I expect publication of the forum's report will result in widespread public debate on how best to resolve our litter problem, which is essentially an issue for every citizen in the State.
Meanwhile, to assist in developing strategies, there are two pilot projects, one in Waterford and one in Tipperary, under the Tourism and the Environment Pilot Initiative, funded for the Operational Programme for Tourism 1994-1999 aimed specifically at developing models on how to effectively tackle the litter problem. The final reports on the projects are due for completion over the next few months and I hope that we can learn lessons from these projects which will have wider application.
