Vol. 637 No. 7
6 Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism his views on the problems in regard to removing the 21% VAT on fees for non-resident artists performing here for festivals, in particular due to the need to attract non-resident performers and artists; if he has had discussions with the Department of Finance on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19252/07]
The Deputy will appreciate that any change to the tax law in regard to the charging of VAT is a matter for the Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Cowen. I am, however, aware of the issue regarding the charging of VAT on non-resident performers and artists and have been briefed on the matter recently by my officials. I intend to explore it further, with a view to seeing if there is a way in which it can be addressed and, in the process, will consult the relevant bodies and organisations. I intend to discuss the matter with the Minister for Finance in due course.
I am delighted the Minister is in favour of investigating the matter and having it rectified. The situation is counterproductive, given what the Arts Council is attempting to achieve. On the one hand, the council gives grants to festivals while, on the other, the 21% VAT rate is applied. This does not help to attract the artists who would make a difference. In many instances, local organising committees must give huge incentives to assist fund-raising. If the 21% rate did not apply, it would be far easier for them to get the best artists and advance their festivals through the addition of workshops and so on but that is not possible due to the huge incentives needed to attract the artists in the first place. The 21% rate is prohibitive. I am pleased to note it is the Minister's intention to deal with the matter and consult the Minister for Finance. We will keep in contact in this regard because the issue has a major effect. Whether a festival is small or large, the VAT rate is a major impediment to its progress. It is welcome the Minister has been briefed and that some action will be taken.
I will certainly discuss the matter with my colleague. The Deputy will recall that the Revenue Commissioners gave a one-year derogation in 2002 in regard to exemption from this charge on the basis of a request from the Arts Council. However, there has been no progress on the matter since. The difficulty is that the people who attend these gatherings, by and large, do not pay VAT on tickets. Therefore, when the organisation involved comes to recoup VAT, it does not have VAT payments against which to offset the VAT it is required to pay. We thought we were doing the right thing in removing VAT from entrance charges. However, an unintended consequence is that the organisation does not have a claimable mechanism available to it. In a way, we set out to do good work but it had this unintended consequence which I will discuss with the Department of Finance.
I congratulate the Minister on his appointment and wish him well. I welcome his statement on the 21% VAT rate. Progress in this area is essential to deal with the issue of developing the arts. The Minister must prioritise spending and support for the arts in the next five years, given that artists make a major contribution to the country and the development of communities.
As we are dealing with the issue of sports, will the Minister join me in expressing our deepest sympathy to the family of the late Derek Dougan who played for Wolves and Northern Ireland and made a massive contribution to sport in this country, particularly——
I am sure this is very important but we might confine ourselves to the question in the short time we have available.
I understand. Will the Minister join me in expressing public sympathy to the family of the late Derek Dougan who made a massive contribution to sport on the island?
I am sure the Minister will agree that the quality of a festival is very much determined by its participants. Unless a festival committee or organisation is able to attract major international artists, it will not attract as many people. Festivals are becoming very competitive. If one wants an international audience and to encourage tour operators to bring visitors, big names are needed. The VAT rate certainly inhibits organisers in getting major names to perform. The Minister may be aware that as Northern Ireland excludes VAT, we are at a disadvantage as regards festivals there.
The Minister is wrong to state there is a loss to the Exchequer with regard to VAT on tickets. In fact, the more a festival grows, the more opportunities there will be regarding bed nights, restaurants, petrol and food sales. If the organisers can increase the value of the festival by bringing in more international artists it will bring in more people and the Exchequer will benefit.
I was not saying that the Exchequer would lose out but that under the mechanism by which VAT is collected one offsets the VAT one pays against that which is charged in. If no VAT is charged in on tickets there is no mechanism for reclaiming it. My point is a technical one but I accept the Deputy's broader point.
I join with Deputy Finian McGrath in expressing my admiration for the wonderful contribution made in the case he mentioned and extend our expressions of sympathy to the family of Derek Dougan.
I plan to make a fuller statement on investment in the arts and the future as I see it, hopefully soon.
7 Deputy Eamon Gilmore asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism his views on the latest figures for overseas visitors to Ireland from the Central Statistics Office and on the drop in the number of British visitors to Ireland; his further views on whether a renewed marketing campaign for Irish tourism in Britain is required to address the shortfall; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19247/07]
The latest figures published by the Central Statistics Office show that there was an increase of over 4% in the number of overseas visitors to Ireland in the first four months of the year compared with the same period in 2006. While it will be challenging to maintain the record-breaking performance of 2006, these latest CSO figures confirm that Ireland's tourism sector continues to perform at a very impressive level.
Mainland Europe continues to be our strongest performing market with an increase of almost 25% in visitor numbers during the four month period up to the end of April compared with the corresponding period in 2006. The North American market has also shown a good performance for the beginning of the year with an increase of 3.4%, while other long-haul markets are up by almost 12%. The figures for North America are particularly encouraging when viewed in the context of the relative strength of the euro against the dollar.
The number of visitors from Britain for the first four months is down by over 5% compared with the same period in 2006. This is disappointing but is consistent with a general trend of reduced numbers of outward travellers from Great Britain to European destinations in the early part of this year. It is believed that interest rate increases and other factors may be impacting on consumer discretionary spending power. The numbers coming to Ireland from Britain for holiday purposes were up by over 6% for the first quarter of the year.
Tourism Ireland is undertaking its biggest ever marketing campaign in Britain this year. This includes spending €6 million to highlight regional attractions. This campaign, which commenced in April, will run through July and I am confident that the months ahead will show the benefits for this most important market. Additional marketing activity is also planned for the autumn, with a particular focus on the short breaks programme.
Considering that 2006 broke all records in terms of overseas visitor numbers and associated revenue, we have set a challenging target of a further 5% growth in visitor numbers and 7.3% in associated revenue for 2007. I am confident that the record levels of Exchequer investment for tourism services this year, €159 million, will enable both Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland to implement a comprehensive set of programmes to help ensure that these targets are met. In particular, the marketing fund of €45 million, an increase of 12.5% on last year's provision, has allowed both agencies to step up their marketing activities significantly.
There has been growth in short breaks here but concern has repeatedly been expressed about the need to encourage British families to travel outside the Pale. The west and south of Ireland have suffered and we do not seem to be able to break that pattern. Short breaks are the most attractive option for the tourism industry.
How many of the British visitors on short breaks were families? How does the funding for marketing in Britain break down as between holidays in Dublin and the rest of the country? Are we getting full benefit from the British market when the exchange rate between sterling and the euro is good? Is it feasible to extend the family holiday outside the capital city?
I am concerned about the number of visitors from Britain and will talk to the agencies about addressing this issue. Tourism Ireland has undertaken its biggest ever marketing campaign this year and I propose to examine that carefully to ensure that it is focused. Last year we had over 4 million visitors from Britain which was an increase of 6% on the previous year. There has been some softness in the market for the first four months of this year and the number is down 5% on last year.
There are major challenges in Irish tourism, including cost competitiveness, focus and investment and I propose to study these carefully to see how to respond to them. We cannot take Irish tourism for granted. That is important.
Traditionally British tourists served rural areas well. They supported small operators in the west and in Kerry principally because they brought their own cars. There is a significant fall-off in the number of tourists from the UK coming here with their cars. We all recall seeing the GB plate on cars around the country when we were youngsters. They are not so prevalent now.
Will the Minister ask Tourism Ireland and the ferry companies to concentrate on attracting the car driving tourist back into Ireland because rural areas benefited more from their business? Our roads have improved to some extent, and are less dangerous than they were.
Will the Minister encourage Tourism Ireland to sell our culture and heritage more? UK tourists find our culture and heritage, especially the ecclesiastical heritage, rather fascinating. We have not focused on this in the past.
The Minister turned the sod on the famous Lartigue Railway which is now up and running and attracting many UK tourists with very little marketing.
I recall launching the Lartigue Railway when we were doing the Millennium Project. I have built a couple of railways since then on a larger scale, particularly the Luas. It is not quite Lartigue but it does the job.
I do not have the figures that Deputy Wall wanted on the numbers of families taking short breaks but I will get them for him. I agree with Deputy Deenihan in regard to bringing more families and more of the car business from the United Kingdom. Tourism Ireland launched its biggest ever marketing campaign there last April under the direction of my predecessor who is now Ceann Comhairle. That campaign is going well. One of its objectives is to do as the Deputy suggested and to highlight the heritage and artistic benefits of visiting Ireland apart from the lovely weather.
8 Deputy Kathleen Lynch asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism further to the opening of the new national rowing centre in Cork, his views on the need to upgrade and develop more sporting facilities here in order to capitalise on the proximity of Ireland to the 2012 Olympic Games in London; if such an audit of facilities is under way; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19250/07]
The previous Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism established a high level London 2012 task force to ensure Ireland can identify and maximise the complete range of opportunities arising from our proximity to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London 2012. This task force includes experts from the sport, tourism, cultural and business sectors and is supported by staff within my Department.
One of the first pieces of work that the task force carried out was an audit of high quality facilities suitable to attract international athletes to train in the years running up to the London 2012 Games.
The superb national rowing centre in Cork is one of the facilities the audit has examined. Given the paramount training requirements of Irish Olympic and Paralympic athletes and the exacting requirements of Olympic and Paralympic standard facilities, the audit has concluded that there is a limited capacity to host foreign Olympic and Paralympic athletes in training camps in Ireland prior to the London 2012 Olympic Games, although I have asked the Department to look again at this.
In parallel with the audit and to better inform the future work of the task force, my Department appointed Indecon International economic consultants to carry out an economic evaluation of the benefit to the island of Ireland of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. This evaluation is now nearing completion. Overall, the most important economic benefits likely to accrue to Ireland from our proximity to the London Games are in the tourism and business sectors.
In the sporting sector, more significant economic benefits are likely to accrue in attracting Olympic qualification tournaments to Ireland. Our experience to date in attracting major sporting events to Ireland, such as the Special Olympics and the Ryder Cup, has been very positive and the economic impact of such events is far greater than that arising from a small number of elite athletes training for limited periods. My Department, in consultation with the Olympic Council of Ireland, the Irish Sports Council and the national governing bodies of sport, is pursuing a number of high profile Olympic qualification events that will benefit the economy and give Irish athletes home advantage in their quest to qualify for the London Olympic Games.
How many actual facilities meet the training brief for international athletes for the Olympic Games? Did only the national rowing centre in Cork and Abbotstown meet the necessary criteria? It seems funny to say we do not have the facilities but will look to host qualifications for the Olympic Games. The national boxing stadium recently hosted the European Union championships, in which Irish boxers were very successful, winning five out of 11 titles. Does the Minister intend that we host individual events such as boxing or triathlon, which was recently held very successfully in Kildare? Can the Minister say how many facilities there are and what qualification events we are considering?
My predecessor established the London 2012 task force last August and it has done very good work. We are awaiting the final report of Indecon International economic consultants, which was commissioned by the task force and is nearing completion. I would prefer to postpone detailed discussion until I have the report but the task force is of a very high order and comprises very experienced people representing different organisations. They are all well aware of the opportunities for a number of sports to attract qualification rounds, such as basketball, boxing, equestrian events, hockey, rowing, sailing and soccer. I hope the House will have a full discussion on the report as soon as it is available.
I congratulate the Minister on his new appointment. Given the dearth of sporting facilities in Dublin North, what is the situation regarding the swimming pool grant in Balbriggan, which has very few sporting facilities? Are there any plans for one in Swords? What is the situation with regard to the Portmarnock sports and leisure centre pool?
The Deputy is straying way outside the question.
The Minister himself mentioned the need for training facilities for home athletes in the area.
We are discussing the 2012 Olympic Games, which is a different matter.
Following the publication of the Indecon report, I suggest the Minister appoint an individual as a chief executive to spearhead the programme and the campaign to attract teams and their entourages to Ireland for the Olympic Games. I feel such a focus is required. A task force is one thing and it has performed well but we need a high-profile person to take responsibility for selling Ireland to various countries around the world.
I can certainly discuss that with the London 2012 task force in the context of the publication of the report. I would be interested in its members' advice on that subject.
9 Deputy Catherine Byrne asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the position regarding the development of the national conference centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19326/07]
36 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the position regarding the development of a new national conference centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19262/07]
43 Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the projected level of tourism revenue that would accrue to the State in the event of the development of a national conference centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19341/07]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 9, 36 and 43 together.
On 5 April last, the contract for the provision of a national conference centre in Dublin was awarded to Spencer Dock Convention Centre Dublin Limited. Under the public private partnership arrangement, Spencer Dock Convention Centre Dublin Limited is required to design, build and finance the national conference centre and to operate and maintain it for a period of 25 years, after which the facility will revert to the State. In return, once the construction of the centre is complete and it is open for business, the State will pay the company an annual charge, the maximum total cost of which over 25 years will be just under €380 million in present day values.
The centre will be capable of accommodating up to 2,000 delegates in plenary session. It will also have 22 multi-purpose meeting rooms and approximately 4,500 m2 of flexible exhibition and banqueting space, along with associated press and delegate support facilities and general utility spaces. The centre, which is to be known as the convention centre Dublin, is scheduled to open on 1 September 2010. In the meantime, the operators, in co-operation with Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and the Dublin Convention Bureau, will be engaged in marketing the centre to secure bookings for 2010 and after. In addition, the prospects for the successful marketing and operation of the facility will be considerably enhanced by the VAT deductibility of accommodation expenses for business conferences, announced in last December's budget at the behest of my predecessor and included in this year's Finance Act.
The imminent realisation of a national conference centre in Ireland represents a wonderful boost for Irish tourism and for the economy generally. According to a number of independent estimates, the national conference centre, when fully operational, is expected to generate additional foreign revenue earnings of between €25 million and €50 million per year. Currently, promotable business tourism attracts 295,000 visitors and is worth €475 million to the economy annually. Fáilte Ireland's target now is to grow this sector to 600,000 promotable business visitors with a revenue value of €1 billion by 2013.
I have a few questions on the cost to the Exchequer over the 25-year period before the facility is handed back to the taxpayer. The Minister said it would cost €380 million. Is there a fee on the handover or does it come back automatically without a fee? Will the Minister confirm the date the centre is supposed to be up and running?
I welcome progress on this issue. It is a question I have asked at almost every Question Time for the past five years. I recognise the work done by the Ceann Comhairle in progressing the project when he was Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism. It is a very important project. Barcelona has four conference centres and we saw what a conference centre did for Birmingham. It will provide a major boost to the economy of Dublin city.
In the proposal for the Shannon region there is a recommendation, supported by the Irish Hotels Federation, that the Government consider a similar conference centre in the Shannon region, otherwise all business tourism would come into Dublin and the centre in this city would take business tourism away from other parts of the country. Will the Minister comment on that?
The centre is scheduled to open on 1 September 2010. Once it is open for business, the State will pay the company an annual charge. The maximum total cost over 25 years will be just under €380 million. That is net current value. An annual payment will be made that adds up to no more than €380 million at net current value. I do not know whether there is an additional handover fee. That would be a contractual matter and I will have to come back to the Deputy on it.
There is a commitment in the programme for Government to examine the feasibility of a conference centre in the Shannon region. I will move that forward as quickly as possible. The Ceann Comhairle does not need me to plámás him in any way, but we should all salute his work in delivering these projects. It will stand as one of many monuments to the man in this Department, where he did a tremendous job.
I hesitate to say the Minister's time has expired.
It is a pity he will not be around to open them.
I also compliment the Ceann Comhairle on this. It moved on in his term in the Department and it is great that we will now have a national conference centre. Will there be transport infrastructure in line with the conference centre? Will there be a Luas connection to Spencer Dock and what will be the timescale for that? It needs to be built by 1 September 2010.
There are very exciting plans for the Luas extension to the docklands area, but I will have to get the dates for the Deputy. They fit in fairly well with the delivery date of 2010. I will have to get more specific delivery dates, but we are committed to developing the Luas in the docklands area, which will be an enormous help to the convention centre.
I want to be associated with the congratulations to the Ceann Comhairle on the conference centre. Is the Minister happy with the size of the centre, with a capacity of 2,000? I have been at medical conferences where 5,000 and 10,000 people have attended.
It was studied very carefully and the optimum figure was 2,000 delegates. If we fill it with 2,000 delegates on a regular basis, it will be more beneficial to us than on the rare occasion in which we will get 5,000 or 10,000, unless there is a Fine Gael Ard-Fheis being held.
They are getting bigger all the time. Tourism Ireland is promoting the conference centre, as the Minister stated. Generally speaking, some of these companies often plan conferences two, three or four years in advance. Can the Minister refer to the initiatives that are ongoing at the moment? Have businesses already shown an interest in holding conferences in Ireland? What are the plans to promote this centre?
I will have another occasion to outline that in more detail. Fáilte Ireland and the Dublin Convention Bureau are already engaged in marketing the centre. They are actively looking for bookings for 2010 and afterwards.
Is it Tourism Ireland or Fáilte Ireland?
Both are out there in different geographic locations, along with the Dublin Convention Bureau and the Department. All hands are on deck to secure bookings from 1 September 2010.
It is important to secure new business if possible. If business is being displaced from Kerry or other places, then it will not serve its purpose. It is very important that new business should be targeted.
I take the Deputy's point. The facility will be here at that date and it is incumbent on us to fill the halls. I am greatly encouraged that the bodies are actively marketing at this point to ensure we have bookings. The convention business is long term and companies must book many years in advance. Systems are in place all over the country to book most of our conference facilities for 2010, 2011 and thereafter.
10 Deputy Joe Costello asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the position in regard to the construction of the new national theatre in Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19261/07]
12 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the progress made to date regarding the national theatre building; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19322/07]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 12 together.
I refer the Deputy to my answer earlier today to Priority Question No. 1.
11 Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the position regarding the development of Sports Campus Ireland at Abbotstown, west Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19246/07]
The Government has provided €149 million under the National Development Plan 2007 to 2013 for the development of a national sports campus at Abbotstown. The Government has already approved the development of facilities under phase one of a development control plan prepared by CSID, the predecessor of the National Sports Campus Development Authority, NSCDA. These facilities will be designed to meet the indoor and outdoor training needs of Irish elite sportspersons who compete at national and international levels, and will also provide for the needs of the local community. Preliminary planning for this phase has begun and the NSCDA has advertised a competition to appoint a design team and a project management team for the project.
The facilities to be provided in phase one of the project will include a national field sports training centre catering for rugby, soccer, Gaelic games and hockey; a national indoor training centre which will provide world class training facilities for over 20 national governing bodies of sport; accommodation for sports men and women; sports science and medical facilities; all-weather synthetic pitches for community use; and the renovation of existing buildings to provide administrative offices for sporting bodies.
The Government decision for this stage of development included agreement to move the headquarters of the Football Association of Ireland to the former State laboratory building at Abbotstown. Planning permission for a change of use for the State laboratory has been secured and work on the building is underway. It is expected the FAI will relocate there in the autumn. It is also intended to provide a headquarters for the Irish Institute of Sport by refurbishing an existing building on the site, and preliminary planning on this project has commenced.
A planning study for the Abbotstown site, which is a requirement under a local objective of the Fingal county development plan, has been completed by an inter-agency group which included the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. This study sets out the mix of sporting, leisure and amenity facilities appropriate for the site. The planning study was considered by Fingal County Council at a meeting held on 12 March 2007 and a proposal was considered to change the zoning of a large portion of the site to open space to allow for sports use and for the woodland area of the site to be zoned for high amenity use. The statutory public consultation period for the proposal for rezoning is due for decision at the meeting of Fingal County Council on 9 July.
Under the National Sports Campus Development Authority Act 2006, the National Sports Campus Development Authority was established on a statutory basis in January to succeed in function and responsibility Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Company Ltd. In addition to overseeing the development of phase one of the campus, the new authority has been requested to identify the facilities that might be considered for the next phase of the development of the Abbotstown project. When completed, the Abbotstown facilities will provide a much needed range of training and competitive facilities for our finest sportspersons.
I thank the Minister for his reply. Abbotstown is of major significance for our national athletes. How many sports organisations will have their headquarters in Abbotstown? I believe 30 organisations were to be facilitated, but I would like to know what has been done. The capacity of the stadium created many problems along the way. Is it still to be 50,000? Also, did the Minister indicate the organisation that will determine the second phase or will submissions be sought from the various groups interested in having a facility at Abbotstown?
As I said, the FAI is moving there in the autumn. That building is being renovated. The headquarters of the institute of sport are located there also. In due course discussions will be completed with other organisations to determine their intentions. I plan to visit the area in the next few weeks if possible to see the situation for myself and be satisfied as to future developments on the site. There are a number of options, as the Deputy is aware. The National Sports Campus Development Authority is to bring forward proposals for further phases of the campus. Possible options include a 25,000 seater capacity stadium, which was mentioned in the programme for Government, a velodrome and an indoor arena. I want to visit the location and be satisfied as to the route forward, but the NSCDA is to bring forward proposals to me for further phases of the campus and I will await them.
The Minister mentioned the institute of sport. Can he indicate when he will bring forward the legislation to set up that institute? I understand legislation is required to establish the institute——
The Deputy is wandering outside the remit of the question, to be fair.
Not really. The institute of sport is an integral part of this——
Not this session anyway.
——and apparently it is holding up progress on the institute.
It is more a question for the Order of Business.
Many of the functions of the new campus the Minister outlined are being provided in the National Coaching and Training Centre in Limerick. It may be too early to ask this question but does the Minister believe that the National Coaching and Training Centre in Limerick, which is now referred to as Coaching Ireland, will have less of a role to play in the future because so many of its functions will be taken over by Sports Campus Ireland?
The short answer to the last question is "No". I do not see any reason for the National Coaching and Training Centre to be interfered with in any way by possible developments at Abbotstown. Even on a regional basis one can see that there is good spread there. I do not see any need to worry from the point of view of Limerick, which has done a superb job and which has the Government's full confidence in what it is able to provide for us in the future.
Question No. 12 answered with QuestionNo. 10.
13 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism his priorities for his term of office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19342/07]
26 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism his priorities for the development of the arts, sport and tourism sectors, with particular reference to capital expenditure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19349/07]
37 Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism his priorities for the development of the arts for his term of office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19345/07]
41 Deputy Michael Noonan asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism his priorities for the development of tourism for his term of office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19343/07]
45 Deputy Kieran O’Donnell asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism his priorities for the development of sport for his term of office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19344/07]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 13, 26, 37, 41 and 45 together.
My priorities for the development of the tourism, sport and arts and culture sectors are set out in the programme for Government. I will formulate policies and objectives, in consultation with the relevant stakeholders, to achieve the delivery of these priorities, which will be articulated further in the Department's new Statement of Strategy 2008-2010, which is in preparation and is to be completed by the end of 2007.
I can say at this juncture that the overriding objectives will be to drive the development of policy with the achievement of a sustainable tourism sector and accessibility and participation for all in sport and culture areas. Under the provisions of the National Development Plan 2007-2013, the Department has a total provision of some €2.7 billion in respect of both current and capital expenditure across the three sectors. This expenditure will fund programmes such as the international marketing and product development programmes in the tourism area, the sports capital and swimming pool programmes in the sports area and the ACCESS programme in the arts-culture area. In addition, the Department will use the NDP funding to deliver such major capital projects as the national convention centre, the new Lansdowne Road stadium, the Abbotstown campus project, the new national theatre and the new National Concert Hall.
Specifically in relation to tourism, the general priorities as of now are to ensure that tourism has increasing public recognition as a key economic sector; the tourism agenda is accommodated in the relevant policies and programmes which impact on tourism; consolidate and continue to grow sustainable tourism sectors across the island of Ireland and that this is facilitated by the Government and the Department; continue to maintain the strong partnership between the State and the tourism industry; and follow up on the actions laid out in the agreed programme for Government recently negotiated. They would be the main priorities.
I will allow a brief supplementary from Deputies Deenihan and Reilly.
I note the Minister did not mention the horse racing and greyhound industries. Will he indicate the plans he has to support the greyhound industry which, unfortunately, has experienced a downturn recently?
As I was not allowed to ask this question earlier, I presume I can ask now about the need to upgrade the Portmarnock sports and leisure centre pool, which is an excellent facility, and also the one in Balbriggan.
Hear, hear.
Regarding the horse racing and greyhound industries, I fully appreciate the enormous economic, sporting and cultural importance of those two sectors. We will continue to support their growth. Regarding north Dublin, we will do the best we can.
Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.
