Gay Mitchell
Question:15 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he will make the necessary finance available for major renovation works on the National Gallery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20859/06]
Ceisteanna — Questions (Resumed).
National Cultural Institutions.
Jimmy Deenihan
Question:34 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he will provide the necessary finance to carry out major renovation and conservation work on the older sections of the National Gallery of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21062/06]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 and 34 together.
A major redevelopment of the National Gallery took place with the completion of the new millennium wing which was formally opened on 21 January 2002. At present, No. 5 South Leinster Street, which forms part of the National Gallery, is being renovated and refurbished. Approximately €5 million is being devoted to this project. The basement area of the building is being reinstated and the building fabric is being structurally stabilised. This will be an authentic restoration of a mid-18th century four storeys over basement terraced house with a substantial amount of late 18th century joinery and plasterwork. Work is expected to be finished around mid-2007.
Further works at the National Gallery are being discussed by officials of the Office of Public Works and my Department in the context of the national development plan for 2007 to 2013. The Office of Public Works hopes to have design consultants in place by the end of the year. The matter will be considered further when a design report is completed.
I understand these further works will cost in the region of €30 million. In view of the importance of the National Gallery, will the Minister provide this money, if possible in the Estimates, because the gallery is within his remit? I remind him that the other national institutions, namely, the Abbey Theatre and the National Concert Hall, have been allocated funds for major refurbishment or have been promised funds. The National Gallery is the last institution waiting for major investment. That is why this is so important. I also remind the Minister that the director of the National Gallery during its most formative period was a Tarbert man, Tom McGreevy, who was director from 1951 to 1965 or 1966. That was a very important period, so obviously there would be a north Kerry interest in this matter as well.
With three Kerrymen present, not a hope.
If there is a Kerryman involved, it has to be done. The Acting Chairman is a Kerryman too. Deputy Wall should note it is three against one, like many a match.
A development control plan was drawn up some years ago for the National Gallery which comprises ten phases. Phases one to four and six to ten of the plan consist of an 1884 wing, portrait gallery, new infill building, roof conservation and 1902 frontage, Milltown wing, refurbishment of entrance hall, work on forecourt and ancillary areas and development on Clare Lane.
Deputy Deenihan is correct that, in 2004, costing was estimated at €32 million, but at this point funding is available only to bring the plan to design stage. A design team will be appointed by the Office of Public Works later this year to review and update the 2001 development control plan. It is probable the design team will suggest amendments, deletions and enhancements to the plan. If the amended plan suggested by the design team is of the same extent and quality of the 2001 plan, it is likely the funding required will be considerably in excess of €32 million. Naturally I will be doing my best to obtain the full amount in the context of the 2007 Estimates from the Minister for Finance.
With regard to the overall aspect of the renovation, storage will clearly be needed for art objects in the National Gallery. Certain paintings are on loan to Members who have them hanging in their offices. Considering time is on the Minister's side, is it possible that some of these paintings can be leased to local authorities so they can be seen around the country rather than just in the National Gallery?
The Minister better not give them to the Great Southern Hotel.
I am delighted that Deputy Wall believes time is on my side.
It was the Minister who referred to 2007.
Since time is on my side, I am looking for funding to carry out the development in question. There is an enormous amount of merit in what Deputy Wall said on the outsourcing of material in the possession of the National Gallery to other agencies for exhibition. I recently saw this done effectively in Dingle, County Kerry, when the Irish Museum of Modern Art had an exhibition there. The opportunity exists for such events with the Crawford Municipal Art Gallery in Cork, the first designated national cultural institution outside of Dublin. There will be a close connection between the National Gallery and it for exchanges. I agree with the Deputy that there is much to be said for a far greater number of exhibitions of National Gallery paintings across the country. It would enhance the visual arts and I will encourage the director of the board in this regard.
Greyhound Racing Industry.
Emmet Stagg
Question:16 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the position in regard to the Dalton report; if he has received comments from those to whom he sent copies or extracts of the report earlier in May 2006; the reason he chose to send this information to these persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21031/06]
Mary Upton
Question:33 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism his views on the recent announcement by the chairman of Bord na gCon that he is to retire in 12 months’ time; if he was consulted on this decision; when the process of selecting a successor will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21033/06]
Mary Upton
Question:40 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the position regarding the status of the Dalton report; its conclusions and recommendations; when he will begin to implement the findings of the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21032/06]
Richard Bruton
Question:51 Mr. Bruton asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he intends to introduce legislation to establish an independent control body for the greyhound industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21061/06]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 16, 33, 40 and 51 together.
I refer the Deputies to the reply given earlier in response to Priority Questions Nos. 9 and 10. If only all replies were so easy.
If we had got all the answers to Priority Questions Nos. 9 and 10, we would not have to deal with these questions. When the Attorney General informed the Minister that due process must take place and the report must be sent to those involved, did he give a timeframe? Did he inform the Minister at what stage could the report then be released?
The Attorney General indicated that a reasonable timeframe should be allowed for the parties concerned to enable them to reply. It was felt that around 15 days would be appropriate. With a report of this complexity and size, it would be necessary for the parties concerned to have time to consider it. It would be in breach of due process were I to seek early, urgent or inappropriately timed responses. The parties have been given ample time. On the close of business this evening, I will not accept any further submissions.
Earlier the Minister inadvertently referred to the "outgoing chairman". Will the Minister confirm that Mr. Taggart is the chairman of Bord na gCon and is likely to continue in that post for some time? Will the Minister agree that the leaking of the report was targeted and selective? Will he agree it was damaging to the reputation and integrity of the chairman of Bord na gCon, Mr. Taggart? He is a respected businessman and it was obvious through his reaction that he is very incensed at the nature and timing of the leaks. I know the Minister has condemned the leaks. Will he confirm that this was an unfair treatment of Mr. Taggart? No decision can be made until we see all the details and discuss them in the House.
I repeat that I am deeply disappointed that these leaks occurred. I repeat that neither I nor any officials in the Department was involved in any of the leaks. It is regrettable that officials in the Department were accused of leaking sections of the report. I fully accept Deputy Deenihan's comments on Mr. Taggart. He is a respected businessman who has made a considerable contribution to the greyhound industry. I have never sought to deny that.
After Mr. Dalton has completed his examination of the responses, the matter will be brought before the Government. I do not want to pre-empt what will occur then.
Until one becomes the outgoing chairman, one should be referred to as the chairman.
Will the Minister ensure, if he is involved in future appointments, that two women are appointed to Bord na gCon to establish a gender balance? If I introduce my Bill on control of the doping of greyhounds in private Members' time, will the Minister accept it? From the leaks of the report, it seems there will be a new procedure where the control of doping will be taken out of the hands of the board and the chairman will not be compromised as he was in this case. The chairman was put under considerable pressure because he announced greyhound owners were using illegal substances on their dogs. The greyhound industry is small and most people know each other. The chairman and the board members would know all the trainers and owners. If my Bill had been accepted, we would not be in this position and the chairman would not be the subject of this national campaign in the media. Will the Minister accept my private Members' Bill so that there will no recurrence of last October's events?
It is my intention that women should be represented on the board of Bord na gCon. A woman from the Department was on the board until recently but unfortunately she resigned. I agree with the Deputy that it is important there is female representation on the board.
With regard to accepting Deputy Deenihan's Bill, I will not pre-empt the contents or the recommendations of the Dalton report. As I indicated earlier, arising from the report there will be a necessity for legislation. Legislation governing the greyhound industry dates back to the Greyhound Industry Act 1958. It is archaic and needs to be changed. For example, a person can be appointed for numerous terms to the board. The chairman of the board does not have a fixed term. That is not the case with any other State agency. People will accept there is a need for the legislation to be changed. It is an open secret that there will have to be change.
Ryder Cup.
Thomas P. Broughan
Question:17 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism his views on ongoing reports of profiteering by the local tourism industry during the period of the Ryder Cup competition being played here; if he has made efforts to prevent same; his further views on the potential damage this could do to Ireland’s reputation internationally as a tourist destination; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21011/06]
Emmet Stagg
Question:23 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism his views on the decision not to make the Ryder Cup a free-to-air television event; his further views on whether this will dilute the impact of the event nationally and internationally; if he has had discussions with the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21034/06]
Jack Wall
Question:25 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if his attention has been drawn to recent comments from the chief executive of Tourism Ireland that any attempts to rip off visitors during the Ryder Cup will do long-term damage to the tourism industry here; the efforts he is making to ensure that visitors to this country are not exploited financially during the period of the Ryder Cup; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21009/06]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 17, 23 and 25 together.
I am aware that concerns have been expressed about the risk of excessive prices being charged by certain elements of the Irish tourism and hospitality industry in the context of the Ryder Cup taking place in Ireland. The State tourism agencies are being particularly vigilant in this area and in all their dealings with the industry are taking the opportunity to encourage a commonsense approach to the pricing of our tourism products. In addition, my Department wrote to the Director of Consumer Affairs last November requesting that a special initiative be undertaken around the time of the Ryder Cup to ensure that price lists in restaurants and public houses are displayed prominently. The Director of Consumer Affairs has informed me that the appropriate checks will be carried out.
Ireland will deliver value for money during the staging of the Ryder Cup. The vast majority of visitors will have purchased packages that have been priced for quite some time. Furthermore, all approved accommodation providers will have published maximum prices that they cannot legally exceed. Nevertheless, I will continue to raise these issues, as appropriate, in my regular contacts with the industry and in the media in the build-up to the Ryder Cup.
In particular, I urge all tourism service providers to take a long-term perspective on the benefits of the event. The value of word of mouth publicity cannot be over-estimated and we want our visitors to return home with glowing reports about their stay here and confirmation that the hospitality and friendliness for which we are renowned really exists. More importantly, we want them to be able to say that the golf was excellent, that they received value for money and that they will want to come back again.
I do not believe that the decision of the Government not to include the Ryder Cup on the list of designated events for free-to-air transmission will have any adverse impact from a tourism perspective. My Department was consulted about the possible designation. As the House will be aware from the press statement issued at the time by the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, the decision not to so designate the event was made on the basis that it did not meet all the necessary criteria and the reasonable expectation that it would remain outside the remit of free-to-air for 2006 given that it had been decided not to include it at the time of the first designation.
From a tourism perspective, media access to our key international markets is paramount and in this regard the Ryder Cup represents an unprecedented opportunity to showcase the island of Ireland to a worldwide television audience of 1 billion people in 150 countries, including 56 million golfers worldwide. Earlier this year I announced that, in addition to providing an additional €4.5 million to Fáilte Ireland to support an enhanced programme of marketing and promotion activities around the Ryder Cup, it was agreed that Fáilte Ireland would engage with the European Tour for delivery of an appropriate complementary programme of events, including initiatives intended to raise the profile of the occasion within Ireland and enhancing the official opening and closing ceremonies.
I could not disagree more with the Minister on the matter of designation of the Ryder Cup for free-to-air transmission on television. It was an unbelievable error not to include the event and not to ensure that it would be seen on national television channels because those in Ireland involved in general tourism during the event will not have that facility if they are situated in an area without access to Sky television. Indeed, I am told that only 14% of people access Sky television. I could never understand the logic of what the Minister did in this regard and I still believe it is a matter which he should consider. Certainly, not including this event was a major error because in our lifetime we may not see it here again. It has become such a world event that it may not be possible to hold the Ryder Cup again in Ireland in the future. The Minister certainly threw away a major chance of ensuring that it could be viewed by the maximum number of tourists who will be in Ireland at the time of the Ryder Cup but not here for that event, and of developing links with golf here in that regard.
On the question on the long-term damage to the tourism industry, the chief executive of Tourism Ireland, Mr. Paul O'Toole, was quoted in an article in The Irish Times as stating that it is a marvellous opportunity to showcase Ireland but it is crucial that we do not fleece the customers while they are here and that hotels in Dublin and Kildare will not charge rack rates or top prices approximately 25% to 28% above the average. Surely that sets the trend for everything else attached to the Ryder Cup. I am flabbergasted. If the person most involved in generating tourism from the event states it is all right if the prices rise by only 25% to 28%, how can the Minister honestly state that he will try to control prices during the Ryder Cup? It is unbelievable to think that would be said in the context of a rip-off.
One must bear in mind that there will be tourists in Ireland at the time of the Ryder Cup not solely attached to the event. Will we see an aspect of differing treatment in hotels, where regular tourists will be charged ordinary prices and a Ryder Cup tourist will be charged 25% to 28% more? If the Minister is to try to set a trend right across all aspects of the services involved in providing for the Ryder Cup, surely the statement to which I refer should be retracted as a matter of urgency. It is unbelievable that a 25% to 28% rise is acceptable. If Tourism Ireland agrees that immediately we should accept a 25% to 28% increase, there are no grounds for the Minister to argue the point. How can the Minister get that statement retracted and how can the Minister's argument be channelled down to all the various aspects of the services involved in this?
I do not think the chief executive of Tourism Ireland believes it is quite all right for people to raise prices by 20% to 25% just because a major event, the Ryder Cup, is being held in their locality. People should recognise that the tourism business is not a short-term one and does not exist for short-term gain. It is a long-term business. It is, quite simply, our single largest indigenous service industry and is generating enormous revenue. Revenue from tourism last year, with a record 6.9 million visitors yielded, before carrier receipts and transport costs, was almost €3.5 billion. This is an enormous amount of money and if one includes the domestic element, the industry is worth approximately €5 billion to the economy.
One will always find that a minority of people will buck the trend and attempt to make the fast buck in a slip-shod wink and nudge way. They do a grave disservice to the majority in the industry who wish to ensure that people enjoy the experience and return home with the view that Ireland was a wonderful place to visit and, above all, that they were treated fairly. In that respect, approved accommodation providers must advertise the maximum rates which they charge. At certain times of the year the same accommodation providers charge less than they would at other times. For example, when the Ryder Cup took place in the Belfry, demand exceeded supply, as it will in Kildare and in surrounding areas during the course of the Ryder Cup. When it was held in the Belfry room yields in Birmingham increased by 36% for the period around the competition. I do not wish to see that replicated in Ireland.
I am confident that Ireland will deliver value for money relative to other Ryder Cup venues. In any event the vast majority of visitors will have purchased their packages before they arrive here and they will know precisely the cost because these have been priced, and deals concluded, for some time. Furthermore, as I stated, all approved accommodation providers will have published maximum prices which they cannot legally exceed.
Incidentally, all sectors of the tourism industry are acutely aware of the value for money issues and the available research from Fáilte Ireland suggests that in an overall sense the consumer is very satisfied with the cost of accommodation and of the golf product in Ireland, although less so, admittedly, as I stated previously, with the cost of drinks and eating out. However, the level of overseas competition continues to grow and, as such, Deputy Wall can be assured that there is no complacency in this matter.
The Ryder Cup offers Ireland's tourism industry a golden opportunity, not just to showcase our golf product but to showcase the beauty of our country and, more specifically, the value for money available in Ireland. I appeal to the industry across the country to take that opportunity.
In view of the fact that bringing the Ryder Cup to Ireland cost taxpayers in the region of €16 million, surely they should be entitled to at least see it free-to-air. As Deputy Wall stated, only one in five households here have Sky Sports. The Government could have included this event in the legislation. The excuse that golf is not considered part of Irish culture is rather lame. More people are playing golf in parts of the country than any other sport. It is very much part of the discussion in pubs where people speak more about golf than almost any other sport.
In deciding that the Ryder Cup should not be free-to-air, the Government has done a major disservice to the taxpayers. It was their money that brought this event to Ireland and come September when people find out they have to pay €700 or some such sum to Sky in order to see the Ryder Cup they will be most annoyed in view of the investment they have already made in it.
I do not know if the matter is open to negotiation with Sky. Perhaps an arrangement could be made with RTE so its viewers could view the event free-to-air or will the Minister indicate if it is possible for the Government to contribute a fee? If there is a window of opportunity, it should be explored because the current situation is grossly unfair.
In terms of what Deputy Wall said about pricing, the Minister should send out the word to golf clubs around the country not to increase their prices for this event as thousands of American golfers will come here in the weeks before the event and they will see the prices in June, July and August and if prices are increased for September it will send out a bad signal about Ireland.
The event has the capacity to be beamed to 1 billion people in 150 countries. A total of 56 million of those 1 billion people will be golfers.
I do not dispute that.
It is also the case that a deal was reached by the European tour with Sky. It is further the case that the designation did not meet with the criteria in accordance with the advice of the Attorney General so it was not possible to designate it. Even if it had been possible to designate, I must be honest and state we reached a deal with the European tour, in as much as we reach deals with other sporting organisations across the world in regard to the hosting of certain events in Ireland, in which certain understandings, written or oral, were reached. It is important those understandings are honoured. If it is the case that we stop honouring understandings, then I am afraid what will eventually happen is that people will not trust us to host major events.
What about the FAI?
In that context, from the time we commenced the sports tourism initiative, which is administered by Fáilte Ireland, we have sponsored a total of 102 events to the end of 2005 with a funding allocation of some €29.64 million. To date in 2006, the initiative has supported 16 events, not only in golf but also in other sports such as yachting, showjumping, rugby, athletics, motor racing and windsurfing.
It is the case that RTE can negotiate freely with Sky with a view to sorting out this problem. Ireland is a relatively low market in comparison to Sky's potential market in terms of this event.
The review of the designated events was a sham. There is no excuse for not having this event free-to-air. I do not know why we went through that process when commitments had clearly been made. I received replies to parliamentary questions stating no commitments had been made. In recent weeks I read in a daily or Sunday newspaper of the amount of money the Government has committed towards the event. It is a wonderful event and I look forward to it. I know it will be a major success.
Will the Deputy ask a question, please?
The review was a sham. Will the Minister indicate if commitments were entered into? I have been told categorically by the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources that no commitments were entered into.
Not only are people taking a short-term view of the tourism industry by ripping people off but they are letting down the industry and the voluntary effort that is being put in by communities around the event centre in the K Club in Kildare who have been adding to the event. They should be taken into consideration also.
We are out of time so I ask the Minister to give a brief reply.
I confirm to the Deputy that no contractual commitments were entered into.
Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.