Seanad Éireann debate -
Thursday, 27 Nov 1975

Vol. 83 No. 2

Tourist Traffic Bill, 1975: Second and Subsequent Stages.

Question proposed: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."

Minister for Transport and Power (Mr. P. Barry)

First of all, I should explain to you, a Chathaoirleach, and to the Members, the urgency attached to this Bill. Under the 1975 Estimates there was only a balance of £62,283 from a total provision of £600,000 which could be spent by Bord Fáilte within existing statutory limits. We need to get this Bill as quickly as possible to enable them to pay people who are due money from Bord Fáilte. Even with the passage of the Bill today, because of administrative reasons inside Bord Fáilte it may be a couple of weeks before the money can be paid.

I understand that this morning there was some concern about the urgency attached to this Bill. As I say, it is to allow Bord Fáilte to pay debts to people who, I suppose, have overdrafts and do not want to pay any more interest between the time they incur the debt and the time they get their grant from Bord Fáilte.

The purpose of the Bill is to provide for a new Tourism Development Fund, from which advances can be made to Bord Fáilte towards the cost of capital works (other than holiday accommodation) which will assist Irish tourism; to raise the statutory limit on the aggregate amount of money which may be paid to the board for the giving of grants for holiday accommodation; and to make provision for the control of the remuneration of the chief officer of the board.

The new fund will replace the Major Resort Development Fund inaugurated under the Tourist Traffic Act, 1959. This Act provided for the payment to Bord Fáilte of sums not exceeding £1 million for the giving of grants for the development of major tourist resorts. In all, 19 resorts and resort areas were improved. Under the scheme, the board provided grants to enable such essential work as basic site development, the provision of facilities such as toilets, shelters, car parks, promenades, parks and other recreational facilities to be undertaken. The works were undertaken in co-operation with local authorities and other local tourist development interests who were required to provide a local contribution of not less than 20 per cent.

The planning and execution of these works necessitated negotiations with many interests, which tended to prolong the carrying out of the various development plans. The financial provision for the resort scheme was increased from the initial £1 million in 1959, by amending legislation, to £3.25 million in 1966 and to £4 million in 1972. Advances to Bord Fáilte have now reached the statutory limit of £4 million set in 1972. The board's expenditure under the resort scheme was supplemented by a further £2 million investment by local authorities and other interests. It is fair to say that prior to the introduction of the resort scheme there had been virtually no public or private investment in amenity and recreational infrastructure. This situation has been radically altered in the 19 areas mentioned. Apart from expenditure under the Major Resort Scheme, Bord Fáilte contributed, from the funds allocated for the general administration and activities of the board and, in 1972-73, from a special Amenity Development Works Fund a further £4½ million towards the cost of other capital works of benefit to tourism— on field sports and commercial promotions (boating, fishing etc.), minor resorts, amenity development, historic buildings and signposting.

As the Major Resort Scheme neared completion, Bord Fáilte carried out a detailed examination of the existing supply of tourist facilities, of likely tourist demand and of development policy needed to match supply with demand. This examination has shown that good environmental quality is all important. Fishing, river cruising, golf, coach and car touring will only attract visitors if set within a pleasing environment. Unspoiled surroundings are becoming increasingly scarce and the need and demand by people living in urban areas to spend some time in more relaxed surroundings is growing. The pressure on existing resources is such that the quality which attracts the visitor is being eroded. The board are concerned— and I fully share their concern — that this erosion needs to be halted.

To that end, the board have proposed a new tourism conservation policy based on the idea of designated areas. They have identified and mapped those areas of the country which by virtue of their natural and man-made resources, and their existing and potential tourism use, are critical to the future growth of the industry and consequently must be safeguarded. Basically the designation idea is a method of clearly demonstrating the land use requirements of tourism and staking a claim for tourism's share of the nation's natural resources.

A draft designated areas map has been prepared by the board to serve as a basis for consultation with the local authorities. It is the board's eventual aim to persuade the local authorities to incorporate the designated areas into their statutory development plans. The board's approach, which is incorporated in a draft Tourism Development Plan, has been well received so far by local authorities. The conservation policy outlined by the board involves strengthening their role as a Prescribed Body under the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1963, increased liaison with the local authorities, who are guardians of the environment, and carrying out environmental development and setting standards.

The board have also formulated a zoning strategy aimed at stimulating a balanced mix of facilities within an area which offers a natural focal point for tourism activity. In all, between 80 and 90 tourism planning zones are envisaged. Concentrating on specific zones it is easier to determine the type and quantity of facilities required within the area. The board's role is one of stimulating the development of tourism facilities through providing financial support and advice. Such development would include joint development with bodies such as the Office of Public Works and the Forest and Wildlife Service on conservation, recreational and educational projects, for example, national parks, forest parks and interpretative centres on the lines of the centre recently opened at Cahir Castle. It would also include expenditure by Bord Fáilte aimed at encouraging the improvement of facilities by those directly involved in the tourist industry, that is, in relation to sailing and water sports, horse-riding, horse-drawn caravans, sea angling, swimming pools, recreation complexes and so on.

To enable Bord Fáilte to contribute to the projects mentioned — activities which were previously financed under the Major Resort Scheme and also, in part, from the funds allocated for the board's general administration and activities — a new Tourism Development Fund is being established under section 2 of the Bill. The new fund will have an initial statutory limit on advances of £4.75 million which should be sufficient to meet the board's requirements for the next few years. The provision in the Bill is of an enabling nature and the amounts to be provided in each year will fall to be debated and voted by the Dáil in the normal way under the vote for my Department.

Section 3 of the Bill provides for an increase in the aggregate amount which may be paid to the board for the purpose of giving grants for the development of holiday accommodation. A grant scheme for this purpose was introduced initially under the Tourist Traffic Act, 1959, which authorised advances of up to £500,000 to Bord Fáilte. The grant scheme was adapted as necessary over the years to meet the needs of the growing tourist industry and the statutory limit was raised by subsequent Tourist Traffic Acts to the current limit of £13 million which was set in 1972.

The emphasis throughout the 1960's was on the provision of additional accommodation, but in 1969, the board began a general embargo on new grant commitments in respect of additional hotel and guesthouse development as the existing stock of accommodation was considered adequate to meet the needs of the industry for some years ahead.

In general moneys voted for holiday accommodation grants since 1969 were initially used by the board to reduce the backlog of grants due to developers and then to meet outstanding pre-1969 commitments as they matured for payment. A few outstanding commitments still fall to be met within the next few years.

The significant downturn in tourism since 1969 posed considerable problems for the industry. Following a study of the hotel industry which Bord Fáilte commissioned in 1973, I authorised the introduction of a scheme of grants to help hotels and guesthouse owners to carry out repairs and renewals which, due to the earlier tourism difficulties, they would otherwise be unable to undertake— and to help with improvements to premises, the provision of amenities and facilities for guests and staff accommodation. The scheme was introduced in June, 1974, and progress up to the end of that year was disappointing. Since then, however, interest in the scheme has improved to the stage where by the middle of November 92 applications in respect of grants totalling just over £300,000 had been approved under the repairs and renewals scheme and 103 applications representing grants of approximately £700,000 were approved under the improvements and amenities scheme. In addition the board had received firm inquiries likely to result in total grants under the two schemes of almost £700,000. Many more hotels and guesthouses are very much in need of refurbishing and improvement and I would hope that the operators will avail of the grant schemes mentioned — indeed, for the future of the tourist industry, it is vital that they do so.

I see the board's role in the accommodation sector as one of encouraging the provision of a balanced and viable supply of accommodation which meets the needs of the expected number of tourists. To this end, as part of the tourism planning strategy, the board have been assessing the existing stock of accommodation and future requirements within each of the planning zones I mentioned earlier. As regards hotels and guesthouses, in general, the emphasis will continue to be on improving the quality of accommodation and providing amenities for guests rather than on the provision of additional accommodation.

The board have been financially assisting the provision of camping and caravanning sites and will encourage the development of further parks and the extension of existing sites to meet the demands in particular areas.

By the end of the current year advances to Bord Fáilte from the holiday accommodation fund will be approaching £12 million. I propose in section 3 of the Bill to raise the statutory limit on advances from £13 million to £16 million. This should be sufficient to meet the board's requirements in financing the improvement and development of holiday accommodation on the lines I have mentioned over the next three to four years. As in the case of the Tourism Development Fund, the amount to be allocated in any particular year will be included in the annual vote for my Department.

The control on the remuneration of the board's chief officer, provided for in sections 4 and 5 of the Bill, arises from the general policy of taking the remuneration of the chief executives of semi-State bodies under control as and when the opportunity arises. The intention is to allow the board freedom to fix the total remuneration of the chief executive within the range approved by me with the consent of the Minister for the Public Service. The ranges of remuneration for chief executives of semi-State bodies are those set by the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the public sector in their report of 11th July, 1972, updated by the addition of increases in pay agreed under recent national pay agreements.

I consider it appropriate at this stage to say something about the present tourism situation. We have had a small but encouraging improvement in results in the last three years. After allowing for inflation, 1973 revenue from tourism was up about 7 per cent on 1972, which was the worst year in tourism terms for 10 years. The recovery was maintained in 1974 when there was a modest increase of almost 2 per cent and it is expected that revenue in the current year will reach the target of a 4 per cent increase in real terms which was set by Bord Fáilte. For next year, the board have been working on the basis of a 7 per cent increase.

As we are all very much aware, factors beyond the control of the tourist industry can have very adverse effects on the numbers of visitors coming to Ireland. I think however, that the storm has now been weathered and that the industry is on its way to recovery. But it is the job of those in the tourist industry, and indeed the public at large, to ensure that the recovery is maintained. Bord Fáilte have been doing a good job, in difficult circumstances, in promoting Ireland abroad. Adequate funds have been, and will continue to be, made available for that purpose. The funds towards the improvement and development of facilities and accommodation which can be made available under this Bill will also help. But this will not be enough. The Government can help the industry only if the industry helps itself. The tourists will return if they get value for money, if they get good service, good meals and clean and comfortable accommodation. On a broader level the protection of the environment and the maintenance of our cities, towns and villages in an attractive state are matters which concern us all. Those in the business of promoting and developing Irish tourism will continue to stress the importance of these aspects, but unless we respond to their advice the tourist industry will not be able to take full advantage of the opportunities for renewed growth now offered.

I confidently recommend the Bill for approval.

Mr. Dolan

Ba mhaith liom, sa chéad dul síos, fáilte a chur roimh an mBille seo agus a rá go bhfuilimidne sásta leis an rud atá á insint ag an Aire. Tuigimid go léir gur rud anathábhachtach ar fad an tráchtáil seo, na cuairteóirí ag teacht agus ag imeacht ón tír agus go gcuidíonn an dul ar aghaidh sin go mór le cúrsaí airgid ins an tír fosta. Ar an ábhar sin, ba chóir do gach duine againne an-spéis a chur ins an rud atá á dhéanamh ag an Aire agus go mór mhór ins an dea-obair atá á dhéanamh ag Bord Fáilte.

We welcome this measure introduced by the Minister, and it is true to say that these funds are urgently needed. Some years ago people were inclined to look on tourism as something of a joke, but we are very glad now that this attitude has changed immensely. In the 1950s people did not think very much of the efforts that were being made then, but as the years went on they have become educated to the fact that tourism now is an immense moneyspinner for the economy. That being so and being recognised by everybody, it is our duty to ensure that we can use this to the very best advantage. One of the important things, and probably the first thing any person would think about when going on a holiday, is food. Irrespective of how beautiful the scenery may be and how nice and entertaining the people may seem to be, if a tourist is hungry and there is no place where he can get an appetising meal prepared under hygienic conditions he cannot be expected to return to that place. Much more will have to be done to ensure adequate meals in every part of the country for tourists and other travellers.

It may be a matter of staff, but it is ridiculous at present for a person who calls to a hotel at 4 o'clock or 5 o'clock, told that he will not get any meal until after 6 o'clock and may go down to the bar and rest himself until the people in the hotel decide that it is time for the meal. That may be good enough from a business point of view but it is not good enough for the tourist, and a tourist is a person either from abroad or from another town or area. The latter is a very important tourist and is very often overlooked. What he wants, in particular, are meals well prepared and in clean surroundings. It should not be outside the competence of any Government to ensure that that would happen.

I appreciate that many hotels found difficulty by virtue of the fact that they were asked probably 12 months in advance to submit their charges. In the present economic situation when we have inflation at the rate of 26 per cent per annum — it is utterly impossible to expect anybody engaged in the catering or tourist business — the hotel business in particular — to try to forecast 12 months in advance what they should charge for a meal or for accommodation for a week. These are important considerations, and some means will have to be found of ensuring that the hotelier, who is a very important part of this whole exercise, will not be forced out of business economically.

I saw a heading today indicating that 37 hotels in this country were downgraded. I would not suggest that we have a lower standard of accommodation or preparing food than in any other part of the country or the world. Indeed, the Irish hotels and guesthouses have improved immensely and can compare very favourably where the presentation of meals is concerned. There are a few exceptions as always. Unfortunately, these are often the ones which tourists pick out. But while even one of these remains it is wrong. I know there is difficulty for Bord Fáilte in enforcing regulations, because unless one is registered as a guesthouse owner or as a hotelier, Bord Fáilte have no authority to tell one in what way one should present these meals, the prices one should charge and so on. Thus the person who evades registration does not come under Bord Fáilte regulations, and he may be a person who is giving a bad name to our tourist industry.

There is a great need for more registered farm guesthouses. Over the past few years there has been a decrease in hotel bookings. The day of the big hotel has gone. We made a grave mistake in providing too much money for the provision of these lavish hotels. We were trying to cater for wealthy tourists who could well afford to pay exorbitant prices. These people set the standard and also regulated the prices to be charged to the ordinary tourist. The best type of tourist and those who spend the most money are our exiles. These people were forced by economic circumstances to emigrate to Britain and America. They reared their families abroad and they would now like to come back here, perhaps to their own parish. We should try to have chalets or houses that we could rent to them so that they could spend a month or so among their former friends. These are the most important tourists and we should try to cater for them. We have been seriously lacking in our treatment of this type of tourist. People in the cities and large towns of America, England and Scotland would love to come back to their native parish but their former houses have disappeared because of the depopulation of our rural areas. It is no holiday for them to come back to stay in Dublin or in one of the large hotels throughout the country. They would much prefer to spend their time in their native parish with their own neighbours, and they would get more pleasure from their holidays if they could do so.

We should also aim at trying to extend the tourist season. Most people take their holidays in the months of July and August — August in particular — and that is a mistake. The Government should endeavour to stagger the tourist season so that popular holiday resorts would not be overcrowded in August and almost empty in June and July. People go on holiday too late in the year. There was a suggestion made some time ago that all Church holidays should be moved to weekends. I am in agreement with that suggestion. It would not affect the religious aspect of the holidays and it would enable people, if they wished, to spend a long week-end at their favourite holiday resort.

Some hotels benefit considerably from the conference trade, especially those situated in the larger towns. Most of these hotels are in the south. I do not fault the southerners for having the railways, the factories, the universities and the good roads, but I must say that they seem to have more than their fair share of the big hotels. Bord Fáilte provided much of the money for the building of these hotels. Hoteliers in the south were able to avail of the grants and improve their business. But there are vast stretches of land, particularly in the north-west, where there is ideal scenery. The one thing lacking is a sufficient number of hotels. Few hotels are listed in guide books and consequently when American promoters are planning a brochure which includes holidays in Ireland they always omit County Cavan, County Monaghan and County Leitrim. These counties may rate passing references because of their proximity to incidents in the North, but they are seldom included in all-in tours. I acknowledge that there are many beautiful spots all over Ireland, but our area can match the best of them. A lot was done to provide industries and to cater for tourists at the mouth of the Shannon. The same type of industries and facilities for tourists should be provided at the source of the Shannon, up in my constituency. Until quite recently, tourists were unable to travel to see the mouth of the Shannon. Many of these conferences are held by organisations within this country and they generate an enormous amount of business wherever they are held. I have attended some of them in Galway and Kerry and I think if there were a few good hotels in the midlands or further north, delegates would be enabled to attend venues near the Border and hold their conferences there. We cannot expect them to go there unless there is reasonable accommodation for them, and it is the duty of the Government to ensure that assistance is given towards providing such accommodation. At present there is very little, if any, suitable accommodation in this area.

We would all like to see more large European conferences being held here, as we are now an equal partner in the EEC. Some such conferences have been held here and they proved very successful. The more of them we can encourage the better it will be for our economy.

I am concerned about the lack of proper training for the tourist industry, particularly training in the preparation and proper presentation of food. I cannot understand why domestic economy, which is taught in many of our schools, cannot be accepted as a subject for degree level. It is not fair that the young person who studies domestic science extensively and passes various examinations should be told when he or she reaches university level that there was no provision for awarding a degree in domestic science. Yet degrees may be granted in many other faculties. That is discrimination against a large number of our young people. There is a serious lack of service jobs in rural areas and people are forced to live in cities and large towns. If service posts could be created many of these people could live in the rural areas. Some of the subjects which in the past were regarded as Cinderella subjects should be given the status given to other subjects which are less deserving.

There is a great need for the provision of proper roads and for proper signposting of our roads. A mistake has been made in the past in regard to the signposting of fishing lakes. These signs are the same colour as the ordinary road signs and they can cause confusion. An Cumann Seandálaíochta or whoever erected the signs indicating ancient monuments and castles painted their signs in green to make a distinction between such signs and ordinary road signs. The multiplicity of signs, especially on narrow country roads, is a hazard to the motorist and the pedestrian. Some international code or colour should be used for indicating the position of important lakes so as to avoid confusion.

The provision of amenity grants should be continued, if at all possible. These grants ensured that it would be possible to construct proper roads to lakes and to places of historical interest. Many of our graveyards are in a very neglected state. Tourists, particularly those coming from America, like to see where their ancestors were buried and, while it is not the duty of the State to tidy up graveyards, it would be a good thing if some money could be provided to cut down trees and briars and so on. This sort of work should be carried out at local level.

Much has been written about the Irish climate and I think it is all rubbish. Our climate is as good as the climate in many parts of Europe. People who holiday abroad will realise this. Our climate is free from earthquakes, tornadoes and other such hazards. The comments of visitors are that the Irish people are sociable and jolly. This is a good reputation to have. We should try to portray more of a national outlook and not be ashamed of our Irish heritage. Organisations such as Ceoltas Ceoltóirí na hÉireann have done an enormous amount to uplift the morale of the people in regard to our culture. It is a great advantage to have bilingual signposts. Many people have been photographed beside these signposts to prove they had been to Ireland. Tourists like to see some Irish dancing and listen to Irish ballads. To promote tourism we must give the tourist some means of relaxation and enjoyment.

We overlook many amenities which have immense potential. For example, a German visitor asked me the way to Croke Park. Many of us place little value on Croke Park but this visitor thought it was one of the finest stadiums in Europe.

Our lakes also have great potential. They have been well stocked by the Inland Fisheries Trust and quite a number of visitors come for coarse fishing. While some of the Senators might not agree with the wildlife aspect of it, quite a number of fishermen throw back the fish they have caught.

It is more difficult to travel to rivers in England than it is here. If we investigate the potential of our rivers and lakes for fishing, almost every town could double its population for nine or ten months of the year. Our rivers and lakes are being under fished at present.

When CIE and Aer Lingus were setting up their offices — and I do not mean this as a reflection on these companies — they did not take account of the many female school-leavers who could fill posts in tourist offices. My own region does not have a seaport, but under the capable leadership of Harry Lynch it is making tremendous strides. The Minister is aware of this fact as he was present when the tourist office was opened recently in Mullingar. Visitors like to be given information by young people and young people should be given their opportunity. Visitors like to be met with civility and friendliness. Perhaps as people grow older they become cranky and may unintentionally be abrupt to visitors. Therefore, more attention should be given to the staffing of these offices. Tourism is a very important business. It should be examined from every angle in order to expand it in every way possible.

The lakeland regions have displayed tremendous confidence in the tourist board. We pay 2p in the £ in County Cavan towards tourism because we realise its potential. We cannot always look to the Central Fund to provide the whole cake. Interest in tourism at local level is important. It is not just a job for the Government. It concerns everyone, whether in Opposition or in Government. This is a sector of the economy which has been nursed along and has responded well, despite all the setbacks during the last five or six years. In my own region which straddles the Border, I am glad to report that there has been an increase in inquiries. If that can happen there, the number of inquiries elsewhere must be much greater.

It is not possible to have an effecdálaíocht tive tourist organisation without cross-Border co-operation. In my own constituency Lough Oughter flows into Lough Erne. We are trying to get this vast expanse of water connected to Lough Gowna and to the Ballyconnell-Woodford canal. These schemes have already been designed and it is only a matter of getting the finance to implement them. On another occasion, I asked the Seanad to make special representation for a grant from the EEC fund to do this work. If it was connected from Ballyshannon to Gowna and the Shannon it would be the greatest water expanse in the country and we should not forget this.

Our tourist board made a grant of £1,000 towards the development of St. Angelo airport at Enniskillen but because of what happened at the time the money was not paid. Enniskillen is in County Fermanagh and there was an old airbase there during the war. We feel that because of the airport's ideal location, there should be co-operation between the Fermanagh County Council and ourselves for the development of this old airport. The development of this old airport would ensure that Continental anglers would be near fishing grounds.

I had the good fortune to visit Paris once and was tremendously happy to see a Bord Fáilte sign there. It looked so friendly. The people who set up that office were very far-seeing.

We often send people abroad to England and America to promote our tourist industry. That is a very worthwhile exercise. I should like to pay tribute to the hundreds of small organisations throughout the country who have formed development committees for the promotion of holidays in their respective areas.

I believe that the majority of people are now very much in favour of tourism. Farmers are perturbed about the amount of litter left on their land by tourists, as some of it causes damage to stock. Containers are now being designed to overcome that.

More boats are needed in some of the lake districts. I know that many English tourists, who have sailed around the world, have never been in a small boat and would prefer to fish from the land, but there should be more small boats made available for the Continental tourists. The boat-building classes which were held in the past were very useful, but fibre-glass is now being used in the building of boats and this should make the provision of boats much cheaper than in the past. It is important to provide these facilities.

Fáilte Lár na hÉireann have been experimenting with pony trekking and various other schemes to attract visitors to the Slieve Bloom area. The Shannon itself is a tremendous attraction and every effort should be made to develop it, and to ensure the safety of the people who sail on these waters. In our county council we have provided lifebelts to minimise accidents on our lakes and other waterways.

Bord Fáilte have done a tremendous job, and we should take a certain amount of pride in what has been done so far. Bord Fáilte and the Minister should be given encouragement and assistance in pursuing to the best of their ability this aspect of tourism. This will ensure our readiness when the real influx of tourists comes. The tourist market is affected by changing conditions and we must be forever in readiness to take advantage of these changes.

Finally, it is wrong to have double standards as far as prices are concerned. The same prices should apply to all tourists. The sale of Japanese-made Irish souvenirs should be discouraged, and tourists should be warned against buying these articles. We should do everything possible to attract more tourists, year after year. Tourism helps the economy and creates more employment. It also makes other nationalities aware of our way of life. In that way we can create cordial relationships and build up good will, which in turn makes tourism a success.

Mr. Butler

I welcome the Bill. First of all, I should like to congratulate the Minister and the Office of Public Works on the fine job they did at Cahir Castle. Senators and TDs should come to Cahir Castle and see for themselves what can be done with such castles. It is a pleasure to visit Cahir Castle and to see there what not alone the castle itself but the country has to offer.

The last official function of the late Henry Kenny was the opening of Cahir Castle and we were very proud to have him there. The castle and the surrounding area have been developed by Bord Fáilte. There is an outstanding car park there, which is necessary in such developments. However, roads leading to the castle are unfinished and cause a certain amount of confusion.

There are many Departments involved in the promotion of tourism. The Department of Local Government are responsible for roads. There is need for an automatic telephone system in the area and we hope to have it soon. As well as that, land and forestry walks should be developed. These items involve a number of Government Departments and cover a wide range of subjects, so I will confine myself to the development of certain areas.

Tourism could be further developed in the area around Cahir Castle. This would take in Clogheen and the Vee, Clonmel, Cashel, where we have a famous castle — the Castle of the Kings — Thurles and even Tramore, which is only 30 to 40 miles away. This area has not been properly "sold" by the tourist board or the Department involved. There has been an increase in tourism in that area but not to the extent that one would expect. I hope that the few words I say here today will be conveyed by the Press to the people, so that they will talk about it to the tourists who come here in future years.

To return again to the question of bad communications, major works being carried out throughout the country by the Department of Posts and Telegraphs to improve the telecommunications system. These works involve a large investment and cannot be done overnight. However, it often happens that roads are left in a very bad condition when cables are laid, and something should be done to ensure that the Departments concerned finish these works quickly and efficiently. When the cable is put down the Department of Posts and Telegraphs seemingly are finished and it is then handed over to the Department of Local Government. The fact that so many Departments are involved slows up improvement works in areas. It is essential to have more co-operation between Departments.

I should also like to commend the Parliamentary Secretary in charge of sports for the work he has done in certain areas, not alone for Gaelic games, of which we are all so proud, but also for other games such as golf. Golf is a very attractive sport for tourists. If it is properly advertised, more people will come to areas where there are golf clubs. I am proud to say we have in Cahir a golf course second to none. I know the worth of a golf club. I know how it attracts people, especially tourists. They can have a game of golf, probably a drink in the golf club, and then go to the hotels in the evening and spend their money in the area. It is very important for tourism.

Forest walks are another valuable tourist amenity. They are a source of pleasure, not alone for our own children and ourselves, but also for those who have gone from the area but who have come back and have seen the developments that have taken place in those forests, especially in the past few years since we had a change in the Ministry.

Again I know the good effects of the improvement of forest walks, because again we have a forest walk in Cahir. I know what happens when people come home from England or America. On Sunday evening they can be taken out and have a nice walk through the forests and have picnics. Picnic sites are laid on in those forests. They can have picnics there with their relations and sit by the streams and enjoy themselves in comfort and peace. That is what tourists want. They want to come back here and relax and forget the troubles of the world, if they can possibly do so. Places such as forests and streams give that relaxation. I would ask that the Department of Lands take a greater interest in such development, but nevertheless I congratulate them on what they have been doing up to now.

The other Department involved in tourism is the Department of Justice. We know the licensing laws are not suitable for some of the tourists who come here. I am a Pioneer, but I think the licensing laws should be extended especially for the tourists. I know if we extend the licensing laws it probably also gives the opportunity to those who are spending too much on drink to spend more. But if we could devise some system to keep those people away from hotels and public bars but invite tourists to come in, we would be doing a good turn for the tourist industry. I think we could do that if some type of entertainment was given by the hotels or bars and some charge made. Then we might be able to keep the undesirables out and allow the tourists who would come with their friends to the hotels or bars to enjoy themselves.

The other area I should like to talk about is the Gaeltacht area. We have had great developments in the Gaeltacht area for the past number of years — road developments and facilities where tourists could stop and have picnics on the way. All that is very good and attractive. Tourists talk about it and are pleased about it. However, more could be done. It is in the Gaeltacht areas that tourists can really get to know the Irish people. They have more Irish there than in any other part of the country. Most of the tourists who come to Ireland come to visit Irish families, to see how they are getting on. They have read a lot about them, that they were so poor, so miserable, and so on. By visiting these places they find that that is not so. We have advanced very much in the past number of years. We can teach those people a thing or two about how they should live. They will not go away carrying the bad message, as many tourists did in the past. They will learn from us how to live properly. In my opinion, all tourists come to see what is happening here. If they see anything that is good they naturally "sell" that to other people in the countries they go back to.

The Department of Education are also involved. As Senator Dolan mentioned, they are involved in the educating of our youth, especially in the promotion of our food. I do not believe a perfect job is done here. I know that in many schools they are taught home economics. It is a mistake that it is really only the girls who are taught home economics. Boys should be also taught how to cook and to present food to people. It is time that the Department of Education saw the light here. Food is very important. We would get more pleasure out of the same food if it were presented properly. It creates a bad impression if food is not presented properly, even though the food might be first class. I would advise the Minister present to have a chat about this with the Minister for Education. I know the Minister for Education understands, but at the same time something should be done in this regard.

Finance, of course, is also necessary. Again we are talking about another Department. Unless the Minister present gets enough finance and unless the tourist boards get enough finance, they cannot do properly the work they are supposed to do. Take an area such as Tramore. This is an area that has got the finance necessary for the development of tourism. Anybody who goes to Tramore will see the improvements that have taken place there over the past number of years. People are again flowing into Tramore. Children and parents are catered for there. The parents can relax and enjoy themselves while the children are being looked after. This development should take place in as many parts of the country as possible. It would cost millions of pounds, but it would be money well invested. If that money can create an attraction which will bring more money into the country, naturally we will benefit.

It is a well-known fact that many of our rivers are being polluted. If pollution continues and all our fish are killed, we can forget about attracting anglers. More control should be exercised over the pollution of the rivers. It is necessary to attract industry here to give employment. Extra employment is necessary at all times. At the same time, our rivers should be kept clean. It would not cost very much to insist on the control of pollution from factories.

Two years ago in Mitchelstown a river overflowed and some fish were killed. The people of the town invested in pollution controls which cost millions of pounds. They cleaned and restocked the river. If all other industries acted in the same manner as Mitchelstown Creameries there would be no problem. Many people who set up industries are only interested in the profit they get from the factory. They are not interested in what happens afterwards. We want our rivers kept clean so that we will have something to offer not only to our own fishermen but also to tourists.

Many other Departments are involved in the promotion of tourism. The most important is the Department of Finance which controls the Office of Public Works. For many years the Office of Public Works have been interested in the development of historic buildings. There is not enough emphasis on the urgency of this work. In many towns we see dilapidated houses. It is possible to see a row of attractive, well-decorated houses and, right in the middle of them, a dilapidated house. It is more of an eyesore than it would be if all the houses were dilapidated. I do not know how we could compel owners of houses to take care of them properly. I do not know which Department are responsible but they are not doing their job. I am not referring to Dublin but to rural Ireland. I love rural Ireland more than I love Dublin. Tourists or natives should be able to enjoy passing through our towns. That is not the position. I drive through many towns on my way from Dublin to Cahir and many of the houses and streets in those towns could be improved.

I do not know who is in charge of cleaning up the streets following vandalism. People come out of chip shops and throw papers or empty cigarette packets or sweet wrappers on the streets even though litter bins are provided. They have no respect for the countryside even though they have received a certain amount of education. This is something we should try to eliminate. I suppose to a certain extent we are all to blame. I saw a person throwing a cigarette box on the ground and I said nothing about it. Perhaps I thought I was showing respect for the man by not saying something. In fact, I was showing disrespect to the people of the town.

I thank the Minister for giving us an opportunity to say something about our tourist problems. The provision of toilets and shelters is very necessary. In many areas up-to-date toilets were provided and after a short time they were in a filthy condition. Somebody must be responsible for ensuring that those toilets are presentable and that people can use them.

I agree with the proposition about car parks. Car parks are very necessary in towns with narrow streets. When car parks are made available to car owners they should be used. We have car parks in many towns in Ireland which cost a lot of money and are not being used. The streets are still being used for parking cars. Something should be done about that.

I compliment the Minister for giving us this opportunity to say what we want to say.

Mr. McGlinchey

Senator Butler spoke at great length about pollution. I wonder how many Members of this House realise that the fountain in Leinster Lawn outside our door is badly polluted and that many goldfish died there this summer as a result of this pollution. Leinster House is a building which attracts many tourists and perhaps the Minister would have a word with the Office of Public Works so that they will ensure that this unfortunate situation will be corrected.

In the first speech I made in this House when elected in 1961. I called for the appointment of a Minister for Tourism. I did so because I believed the tourist industry was by far our most important industry and that it should have the full-time attention of a Minister who would specialise in it and help to develop it in the proper way.

Our three largest foreign money earners are the agricultural industry, the tourist industry and the manufacturing industry. When one considers the amount of money the State has to invest in agriculture, in the manufacturing industry and in the tourist industry, and when one considers the return from these three, it is fair to say that the tourist industry's return in comparison to the investment per head of the population is by far the greatest. For that reason I believe it is still not too late to have at the head of the tourist industry a separate Minister who would give it his full-time attention.

As one engaged in the catering industry, I have no hesitation in saying that the greatest enemy that industry has had during the past few years is the present Government. The taxation policies of the Government have made it virtually impossible for those engaged in this industry to do what the Minister expressed in the closing paragraph of his speech when he said:

The tourists will return if they get value for money, if they get good service, good meals and clean and comfortable accommodation.

Today it is very difficult for anyone engaged in the tourist industry to give value for money, to give good service, and to give good meals. It is very difficult because of the absurd and unrealistic tax policies of this Government over the past few years. Ireland was once known as a land of milk and honey to which tourists flocked to enjoy not alone our scenery, not alone our friendly people, but our cheap drink, our cheap food, our cheap petrol and so on.

Today Ireland is no longer known as a land of milk and honey. Ireland is known as a land where drink prices are excessive, where petrol is practically unbuyable and where food is exceptionally dear. I remember not too many years ago when the people in the Six Counties flocked across the Border to buy cigarettes, to buy food and, indeed, to buy cars because the price variation was such that they were encouraged to do so. Times have changed to such a degree in the past two years that we now find that the opposite is, in fact, the case. This very afternoon there will be more people in my own town bringing their business to towns like Derry and Strabane to buy their food because there the prices are much cheaper than here.

There is no point in saying: "Ah! but we are in the EEC. It is all due to the EEC. It is all due to international problems. It is all due to the sheiks." Surely the business people from Derry and Strabane are also in the EEC and also had their problems with the sheiks. Why then is it that today one can buy food 50 per cent cheaper in any Six County town than in the Irish Republic? The reason is obvious. It is the stupid policy this Government have been pursuing over the past three years, a policy which has killed initiative in the tourist trade, a policy which has made it virtually impossible for anyone engaged in catering to provide facilities for tourists at a reasonable profit.

In fact, most caterers will admit that the catering portion of any establishment must be subsidised by the bar in that establishment. This is no incentive to the catering industry to prepare for the future. It is no incentive to extend or improve their premises to provide for this tourist flow the Minister hopes will return.

In the past 12 months the greatest obstacles to tourist development have been the alarming taxes placed on drink, the ridiculous increases this Government, and not the sheiks, put on the price of petrol, the failure of this Government to meet the promise the Taoiseach made in this House, in the presence of us all, in the month of July or August, 1973, when he said the price of food would be reduced by 5 per cent from 1st September. The greatest obstacles to tourist development have been the increases in the price of electricity, the price of oil and the price of insurance stamps. All these increases have made it virtually impossible for anyone engaged in the tourist industry to provide for tourists as they should. This has been brought about as a result of the mismanagement of this Government, who have absolutely no financial policy and who let one day drag on in the hope that something will happen. Initiative has been killed. It would appear that, as long as they increase social welfare benefits, the Government are satisfied that they will receive the support of the people.

If the tourist industry is to be accelerated in the manner in which it should be, if tourists are to be drawn back here in the numbers in which they came in the past, this Government will have to alter its taxation policy. People can no longer afford to eat in hotels and restaurants at present prices. The owners of these establishments are compelled to charge these prices as a result of the Government's policy.

The Minister told us that this Bill was rushed because the financial situation was so critical that people were waiting to be paid their grants. If this is the case, I cannot understand why it took until now to bring this legislation before this House. It was debated only yesterday in Dáil Éireann and it would appear to me that these people who are in this critical condition could have been attended to before the summer Recess or certainly in the first week that Dáil Éireann met in this session.

We heard Senator Butler speak about the old buildings that can be seen in many of our villages. Fianna Fáil introduced an excellent system of grants known as the amenity grants. These grants were used mainly in tourist areas, not alone to improve the appearance of the area, but to provide facilities for tourists. I should like to take this opportunity to protest once again at the decision of this Government last year to withdraw these amenity grants. I should like to take this opportunity to appeal to the Minister to use his influence with the Government to have them introduced again as quickly as possible. The grants were not all that big. In my own county, outside the urban areas they amounted to £10,000, and inside the urban areas about £5,000. With that £15,000 and a local contribution, a considerable amount of work was done over the years, useful work from a tourist point of view.

While I realise that the cupboard is bare — and it is not unusual for a Coalition Government to have a bare cupboard — surely with all the money they are getting in taxation, with all the money they are getting in VAT, with all the money they are getting in taxes of one kind or another, the Government can scrape up the £100,000 or £150,000 required to restore the amenity grants. This would help to provide many tourist attractions.

Another serious disadvantage as far as the development of tourism is concerned is the severe cutback on our road spending. Good roads are important for tourist development. Good roads are very necessary to encourage motorists from abroad to visit our land. But once again it would appear that this Government are not providing the same amount of money as their predecessors for the improvement of roads, when one considers the effect of inflation over the last number of years. In my own county the amount of money provided for roads for 1976 is exactly the same as what was given in 1973, not £1 more nor £1 less. When one considers the change in the value of money that has taken place in the meantime one must certainly admit that the amount of money spent is not sufficient. The roads in the west and north-west of Ireland are no attraction for tourists and if we are serious about the tourist industry the Government investment in this work must be greatly increased.

In the course of his speech the Minister mentioned recreational facilities and swimming pools. It is now costing over £100,000 to build a 25 metre heated, enclosed swimming pool. The Department of Local Government quite rightly insist on a local contribution of 20 per cent. The remainder of the money is provided by the Local Loans Fund, with the Department of Local Government paying 50 per cent of the loan charges. But the local authorities who have built pools throughout the country soon realise that the building of the pool itself is really the easiest part of the job and that the problems arise with the opening of the pool. It is estimated that the maintenance costs of such a pool could be in the region of £20,000 per year. When one examines the figures one discovers that the Department's contribution to this pool is in the region of £6,000 towards the loan charges. The time has come where it will be necessary for the State to undertake portion of the maintenance costs as well. The burden being placed on local authorities is so high that many of them will find it difficult to keep these pools in operation.

There would not be more than two or three towns in a county with swimming pools, so a contribution of 50 per cent towards maintenance costs would possibly mean that the overall cost to the Department would amount to £250,000 in a year. This is a small amount of money considering the two great benefits derived from these pools — the tourist benefit and the benefit the local people derive from them in learning to swim and so on. I ask the Minister and Bord Fáilte to take this matter up with the Department of Local Government and try to persuade them to make a contribution towards the operation of these pools.

The Minister mentioned recreational facilities. Within the last few weeks I was present, as a member of Donegal County Council, at two cross-Border meetings, one with the Fermanagh District Council in Enniskillen and one with the Strabane Rural Council in Strabane and on both occasions the council's recreation officer spoke and outlined for us the tremendous facilities which they are providing there in the way of recreation. Strabane alone is shortly opening a 30-acre playground, which consists of a park, a swimming pool and all types of facilities. In Enniskillen they have a much more ambitious programme with even greater facilities. Within the next few months a similar project will be opened just outside Derry city. But here in the Republic this very important facility seems to be badly neglected. As a result our tourist industry suffers but, even more important, our own young people are suffering because of a lack. I feel the time has come when local authorities should be encouraged to employ recreation officers and give them sufficient funds to provide these very necessary facilities for our young people and for our tourists. This particular matter has never been given the priority it merited. I hope Bord Fáilte will consider this matter again very carefully.

In conclusion, I would make one other comment. I believe that the State investment in tourism is much too small. I have said this on numerous occasions in this House during the lifetime of the last Government. I remember comparing the State investment per head of the population in tourism, which was 6d in old money, with up to 10s as far as agricultural investment was concerned.

Here again the amount sought by the Minister is not nearly sufficient. It could be argued, of course, that when this limit is reached it will be a simple matter to bring further legislation before the House and give the House the opportunity of debating it. Nevertheless, if £13 million was considered sufficient in 1972, in the preinflation days and in the days when we had a Government which did not increase prices every morning, surely an extra £3 million three years later does not meet the inflationary rises we have had. Anyone would agree that £16 million in 1975 is much less in value than that £13 million in 1972. Considering that the Minister states that this amount should last for four or five years, unless inflation is controlled then the value of this money will be very much less.

I want to support the call made by the National Tourism Council to have a tourism bank established. The agricultural industry has the Agricultural Credit Corporation and manufacturing industry has the Industrial Credit Company. A bank specialising in the tourist industry is bound to have a tremendous effect and would prove a great help to those engaged in the tourist industry. The financing of this bank would not be all that great a problem but it would mean that those involved in the tourist bank would be specialising in the tourist industry and that the profits from this bank would be ploughed back into this industry. If the two other major industries, agriculture and manufacturing industry, considered it an advantage to have their own bank, then it should be obvious that the tourist industry and those engaged in it would benefit considerably by the establishment of such a bank.

Mr. Kerrigan

Like other Senators, I welcome this Bill. I do not propose to mention local affairs regarding tourism. Senators Butler, Dolan and McGlinchey, to a certain extent, mentioned some problems which might appear insignificant but which could have a bad effect on the tourist trade.

Senator McGlinchey, typically, attacked the Government for the loss of revenue from tourism and for increased costs. I want to quote from the report of Bord Fáilte for the year ending March, 1973:

Total of earnings for 1972 of £91.4 million, as estimated by the Central Statistics Office, showed an decrease of 10.9 per cent on 1971.

This was 1972, the year when everything was so good, according to Senator McGlinchey. They continue:

Very few people in Irish tourism will remember 1972 with pleasure. For practically everyone it represented anxious times — it marks the fruition of a variety of problems which had been building up, in some cases over a span of years: inflation, the full impact of Northern Ireland, the accession of many new rooms but without the business to fill them.... continuous uncertainty over the landing rights issue. High on the list of deterrents is the cost of an Irish holiday. It is costly to get here... and it is increasingly costly to stay here. There are several reasons for this. In recent years inflation has hit Ireland worse than most countries.

They add that the offer of cheap holidays in bygone years was often possible because of low labour costs in service industries. This has changed and I think it is a healthy sign that we no longer have lower labour costs in service industries. Senator McGlinchey remarked on the cost of food. With the change of Goverment food was reduced by the removal of VAT. If Senator McGlinchey's party were in power it would be costlier.

Mr. McGlinchey

You are joking.

Mr. Kerrigan

Tourism should be everybody's concern. Perhaps that message has not got across to most of us. Since I come from Cork city I possibly have not the same interest in tourism as Senator McGlinchey and other Senators who are directly involved in the industry. Bord Fáilte should be congratulated for a recent issue of a booklet on the progress and needs of the industry, which made me realise what the tourist industry meant to the country. When we realise that 118,000 jobs were generated directly by tourism we can appreciate its value. When we look at the agricultural sector and see the consumption of agricultural produce by visitors, we realise that possibly double that number of jobs is generated. Outside of that we have many indirectly involved and for that reason tourism is everybody's concern.

I welcome the Minister's Bill, especially the emphasis on improving accommodation. We had a time when accommodation seemed to be the be-all and end-all — just get the beds and that was it. Now the time has come to reassess the situation and to put the emphasis on improving the present accommodation and bringing it up to a high standard. This is one of the things that should be done.

I also welcome the idea of policy changes in regard to the designated areas. There should be proper consultation with industry and planning to ensure that conflict over environmental problems is kept to a minimum. Under this plan for designation parts of our country which we all love so dearly will be kept free from pollution and environmental problems. This will ensure we continue to have what most visitors look for: a country where you can travel fairly freely by road. We have a reputation for quietness and repose, if such a thing is possible in this world. We have places in Ireland which are favoured by many people because of these qualities. In recent years we have developed new markets; but the British market will be, I suppose, always one of our major markets. I agree that we should look for new business from areas and that we must seek new tourist markets.

I welcome the Bill at a time when the tourist industry is getting back somewhat to what it was in the past. Possibly in years to come it will be one of our major industries. All the help possible should be given to improve that industry.

Cáit Uí Eachthéirn

Ní raibh aon tuar agam go mbeadh an Bille seo ós ár gcóir inniu agus mar sin níl tuarascáil bhliantúil Bhoird Fáilte ná plean réigiúnach Bhoird Fáilte scrúdaithe agam. Mar sin, na smaointe a chuirfidh mé romhaibh beidh siad gan ord gan eagar agus beidh siad fánach go leor, ach tá súil agam nach dtógfaidh sibh orm é.

I wish to welcome the Bill. I am delighted that additional money is being provided for our second greatest industry, which is tourism. Many of the points which I shall refer to have already been spoken of by previous speakers but I may have a different slant now and again.

The industry has suffered a great setback over the past few years. Many of the reasons for that setback were beyond our control. Still, there are many others that have been within our control. I think that we and Bord Fáilte should take notice of those we can cure. The first thing — maybe my list is not in order of priority — is that our cooking and our meals have gone from bad to worse; our towns in many cases have become more untidy; there are too many people ready to make the quick buck; we have a growing problem of pollution; we have also the destruction of our environment.

A more serious matter is the disappearance of one of our greatest amenities, the disappearance of our beaches. We have only about 3,500 miles of coastline and we have only about 350 miles of beach. There should be a national policy on the protection of those beaches. I would appeal to the Minister that he and his Department would set about drafting a national policy before it is too late. Another point is the coast erosion where we have those beaches. There are several amenities along the coast and one particular amenity is the golf links. In many areas golf links skirt the coast but these also are being swept away. We have one in Ballybunion, which is one of the top ten golf links of the world, and we have to sit idly by and see much of it taken by the tide year in, year out. It is a problem that no local authority can possibly tackle because it will cost many millions of pounds.

I would again appeal to the Minister that it is a question of "a stitch in time" in these cases. Even if there was some contribution given, until some major job can be done, he would be doing a great deal to preserve two of our greatest amenities — our beaches and the golf links along the beaches.

In the early days when Bord Fáilte started you had the selection of at least 19 areas as major resorts. That was a very good starting point. I compare it to a person who has a certain amount of money and the best advice to give that person is to spend it on a decent outfit, rather than buying many shabby bits of clothes and ending up with nothing. From that point of view the idea of selecting 19 major resorts and bringing them up to a good standard was good at that time. However, concurrently with that we should have a scheme for minor resorts, because many of our minor resorts are those frequented by families.

What happened in Ballybunion as a major resort may have happened in other resorts also. When the scheme was outlined, half of it was done. We have waited eagerly over the past ten years for the second beach to be finished. There was one local problem — the acquiring of some tiny bit of land — and we implored Bord Fáilte to go ahead with the scheme minus a swimming pool. On that point I was interested to hear Senator McGlinchey say that the day you erect a swimming pool is the day your headaches begin. Whatever headaches we had they would have been doubly painful if we had incorporated the swimming pool which Bord Fáilte were insisting upon. I would ask the Minister to ask Bord Fáilte to let the second part of the Ballybunion scheme go ahead minus this swimming pool because we can very well do without it. We have the northern beach laughing at the southern beach because one is developed and the other is as it was for the last 100 years.

Senator McGlinchey and another Senator referred to the discontinuance of amenity grants. That was a great mistake. I would ask the Minister to reconsider the introduction of those amenity grants. Areas that felt they were neglected, areas that had active development associations, had nowhere to turn for finance. If we introduce those amenity grants once again it will give a great moral boost to those very active development associations who have no funds.

It is a pity that the Bill has come before us prior to our examining the regional plan by Bord Fáilte. I hope that, when we see what is envisaged for our own areas, we will get a further chance of discussing the tourist situation in the different areas.

I think the Minister is right when he says we have spent enough on the larger hotels and that more consideration should now be given to grants for the smaller hotels and guesthouses. I do not know if this point has been made before, but I think licensed premises should be entitled to some grants from Bord Fáilte. They play a major role in tourism. In many areas the local pub is the only place where recreation is provided, outside, of course, liquid nourishment. They are criticised badly for the toilet facilities, and this is really because Bord Fáilte again have not sufficient public toilets in tourist areas and the local licensed premises have to make up for this deficiency.

There is the other point that many local people from rural areas cannot possibly afford hotel prices and they look for their entertainment in the local pub where the charge for whatever they drink is much lower than it is in the hotels.

Somebody referred to recreational facilities. Major resorts especially, and minor resorts as well, especially at the seaside, need facilities for children and families. Football fields at tourist resorts are neglected and these are as big an amenity for those visiting the area as they are for the local people, and I would hope that Bord Fáilte would get interested in our playing fields.

Another point referred to by Senator Dolan was the provision of national entertainment, and in that field I think every resort should have a little theatre where Irish music, song and drama and dancing would be available so many nights a week. Our resorts are being swamped out by Anglo-American culture, and when people come to Ireland from abroad they certainly do not want a replica of Brighton or of Coney Island. In this respect I think a good example has been given by Father Pat Aherne in Tralee. He has done trojan work to promote Irish music, song, dance and recreation in Tralee town with his wonderful production of Siamsa. This production is based on local folklore.

The actors and actresses are local children, and it has gained international fame by now. Side by side with that his idea of running a Teach Siamsa is also a wonderful way of promoting this type of recreation not only for our own people but for visitors. The Teach Siamsa is a thatched cottage and the first one was erected three of four miles outside Listowel. There you have running during the summer months wonderful song and dance sessions and mime and so on based on our folk customs and folk songs.

Earlier I referred to our bad cooking, and we have the best natural fresh food, I would say, in the world. It is a pity that it is so badly cooked I believe that tinned food should not be tolerated in any hotel that has got a Bord Fáilte grant. We could do with less variety and more properly cooked food. I hope that something can be done about that. One way of helping might be that winter cookery classes would again be started in seaside resorts and that there would be a general pep talk and advice on this major tourist industry. Here again Senator Dolan referred to home economics. I agree with him that it is about time that it got university status. We are very perturbed about our animals and we have balanced rations for the pigs and cows but we still have done nothing much about balanced rations for our people and our visitors.

A very good point was made by Senator McGlinchey when he referred to the amounts spent by the IDA and the amount spent in the agricultural field and compared the results from those two with the results from tourism. It is fair to say that you have a far better result from the money you invest in tourism than you have from the other two. It spills over to far more people and there is a much better gain to the whole country as a result.

There is an industry coming up on the north of the Shannon. It is going to cost about £200 million. The whole £200 million is not going to be invested by the Irish Government but a good chunk of it will be invested by the Irish Government, but eventually it will only employ 800 people. If that amount of millions was spent on the tourist industry there would be a far greater return. Another point that is forgotten is that every man, woman and child in this country, whether he runs a guesthouse or not, is involved in the tourist industry. I have made the point before that a kindly word spoken to a tourist who asks you on the roadside just to direct him to his destination, the way you speak to him and the way you help in that very trivial request, will remain with the tourist many many years after he has forgotten the lakes of Killarney or our golden beaches.

This should hold also for those giving a service of any kind, our bus drivers, shop assistants, our hotel staffs and any person who is met on the street for some information. I have referred to the grants for recreation for our children for wet days, and Bord Fáilte should really concentrate on that as well.

Coming from a county that skirts the Shannon I believe that there should be a vigilante group set up along the Shannon at both sides, on the Clare side and on the Limerick and Kerry side, to see that none of those dirty industries are situated near that beautiful river, first of all, and secondly, to make sure that the beaches on both sides of the Shannon will not suffer pollution. I referred to industries which eventually will give employment to only 800 people. I hope that there are many safeguards built into that, that it will not ruin our beaches in north Kerry and the beautiful River Shannon.

Another area where local authorities need help is in the disposal of sewage. Local authorities have not got the money for treatment plants for much of the sewage that is going into our beaches and into our rivers. Bord Fáilte should give grants and help out our county councils.

As regards pony trekking, that can in a way get out of hand and it is something to which attention should be paid. There should be very specific routes for pony trekking. Another sore point with me is the way towns that make a great effort have lost out in the Tidy Towns competition because of the mess left after chip wagons. This needs not only the attention of Bord Fáilte but the attention of our health authorities. I regret to say that neither of them have paid any attention to this. I appeal to the Minister to bring this to the attention of both authorities.

More parking space is needed in every village in Ireland if we are to ensure that our lovely villages are not by-passed. Referring to our villages, I was discussing a holiday with a foreign visitor and I asked the visitor where she stayed the previous night. It was a very small village which had a nice guesthouse. She told me she preferred the small villages of Ireland because it is there that one meets the real Irish people. If one goes to an over-commercialised tourist resort one only meets more tourists. From that point of view I think the Rent-a-Cottage-Scheme has been very fruitful. It has revitalised some villages that were hitherto dying. Wherever there is an attractive village this scheme should be promoted.

I noted the Minister said in his opening speech that Bord Fáilte were paying special attention to the environment, and I welcome that. I implore of them to be active watchdogs if the amenities of our beaches, lakes and rivers and open spaces are not to be destroyed. Now that we are in a valley period we have a chance of assessing our faults and failings. It will give us an opportunity to remedy them. Senator McGlinchey is quite right when he says we need twice the amount of money being provided by the Minister. The expenditure of this money on our seaside and inland resorts, rivers and lakes would give very necessary employment. Senator McGlinchey also mentioned the need for greater grants for our roads. Without good roads the tourist industry is a dead loss.

Having done a round-the-world trip I think we have the most beautiful island in the world if it was properly developed. It certainly can become a tourist mecca. It is only when one leaves it that one appreciates all we have. We are the custodians of all these amenities that nature has given us. It behoves us to see that these are handed on to the next generation unspoilt. Let us beg the people to keep these hideous posters off our roads, to keep the blaring music off our streets and to make a stand for better meals for the tourists in the years that lie ahead.

I welcome the Bill. I find fault only with the fact that we have not enough money. I hope the Minister for Finance will provide enough funds so that tourism will take its place side by side with the other two major industries which we have.

Mr. Markey

I think it can be said that money spent on the tourism industry is money well spent for the future of our country. If we look at the contribution tourism has made to our economy we can see its real effort. Whether we look at it in statistical or non-statistical terms, we will see the effect it has had. If we relate our earnings from foreign tourism to our gross national product we find that in 1970 the percentage figures show that only in the case of Austria and Spain was tourism of more importance to the economy. Even if we look at it in non-statistical terms, namely, from the point of view of social advantages, we find that it gives the people of Ireland an opportunity to show to strangers what kind of people we are, what we have in this country to show off. Also the amenities that grow up through the development of tourism facilities are to the advantage and benefit of our own people.

We have to be realistic in any survey of tourism. We must decide on what the Irish tourism industry depends. What are its main attributes? What are its basic features? Nobody will deny that it is the natural beauty and the tranquillity of our countryside which is one of the main advantages to tourism. There are other factors of course. People refer to our hospitality. Some people refer to an imagined quaintness of Ireland and Irish people. Some refer to historical and archaeological points of interest in the country. But these natural attractions, the natural beauty and the tranquillity of our countryside, these two things we must retain as far as we possibly can. We must remember that we are a progressing country. If we want to progress in a material way, as we must to keep up certain standards of living, this natural beauty and the tranquillity will have to be sacrificed. It is in the field of ensuring that we have sufficient controls to retain as much as possible of this beauty, peace and tranquillity of the countryside that major work will lie in the years ahead.

When the Acts for the tourists business in this country were set up it was envisaged that a sort of partnership would exist between Bord Fáilte and local authorities and the public. I often wonder if that partnership is practised. In far too many cases we have loaded the work on to the various tourist organisations at local authority level. This was not what was envisaged in the founding Acts. For the greatest advantage to be derived from tourism for Ireland we should try and attract our people to give assistance, even in psychological terms, to tourism, as being a great factor in revenue earnings for this country.

I once read a story of a Dutchman who was lodging in Switzerland. He was given for his meals German or French meat. Suddenly a cry went up that the Swiss meat industry needed assistance, and the following day and for weeks afterwards there was a supply of Swiss meat. That psychological presence as regards the benefits to be derived from tourism is what we have to try to get across to our people. We have more or less handled the job of promoting tourism and inviting foreigners to our shores through the tourism organisations, and local authorities could play a more important part than they have up to now.

It is interesting to look at what various surveys have shown as regards the findings of visitors to our shores, what they felt was wrong and could be improved upon. I quote from a survey carried out by the research and planning department of Bord Fáilte among visitors to certain places of historic interest. The three places covered were Newgrange, not far from my own county, Monasterboice, in my own county and Glendalough in Co. Wicklow.

The survey's findings were that a lot of people felt that there was not adequate signposting or adequate catering facilities or even adequate guide services to really acquaint visitors with these historic sites. It was felt all-round by the survey that more information should be available at the site. I think we all have had experience of going to visit an old building, a ruin of a church or whatever, and being confronted with signs which we looked forward to in anticipation of giving us information as regards the history of that particular ruin but which, on close examination, contained no other reference other than it was under the control of the Commissioners for Public Works. That is something which we could look into, providing adequate information and guide services to all places of interest in this country.

The past six years have certainly created difficulties for the tourist industry. I do not want to sound partisan or parochial when I refer to what Border counties in particular have suffered with regard to tourist resorts. I attended the gala opening night of the Omeath Festival in 1973, 1974 and 1975 and thankfully the promoters of the 1975 festival were more hopeful than they had been for the previous two years.

The returns for those two years were pretty miserable when compared to the amount of effort which was put into the organisation of that festival. That has been the experience of all festivals in the Border counties. I would ask Bord Fáilte and tourist organisations that perhaps they could look a little bit more kindly on these occasions. They have carried the flag of trying to attract visitors into our country in very difficult times. They have been, as it were, at the very gate of entrance into our country and I think Bord Fáilte and tourist organisations should give them credit in the only way they seek, that is, through greater subvention and assistance in the future.

In being realistic about tourism we must remember that what we might like and what foreigners should see is not what really counts in the long run. It is what foreigners see that determines whether they will come back or will send their friends back. It is important, therefore, that the right kind of service be given from the first moment of contact between a visitor to Ireland and ourselves. He will have signed a contract in a travel agency in a place like Dusseldorf or Munich or wherever he might be, or be at the customs post at Killeen or at Dún Laoghaire, but a certain standard of service must be given in manner and approach and in general kindness as well.

A point was made by Senator Butler about what the Departments could do in the promotion of tourism. I feel he was wrong in this. He was inclined to lay too much emphasis on what various Departments such as the Department of Education and the Department of Local Government could do. I am not too much in favour of this. I refer to what I said in my opening remarks that this is, as it were, tri-partite involvement by Bord Fáilte, by local authorities and by the public. The more we get involved in this the more progressive our tourist industry will be.

One thing which we must remember about tourism in Ireland is that we have a limited amount of money to spend. We cannot spend it everywhere. We must have particular regard to festive occasions which will give us back a return for our investment. In the late 1960s there was an inclination on the part of Bord Fáilte to spread that money over a very wide area and we saw at that time room accommodation being increased. I think that it was possibly oversupplied. Room accommodation is something which has to be practical because standards are changing all the time in regard to what people demand when they go on holiday whether in this country or abroad, and it is necessary to keep up-dating the standards of accommodation made available. I regard cleanliness, good food and comfort as being preeminent in all of this. We may well have a sufficient number of rooms in our hotels and guesthouses to facilitate the demand that will be forthcoming for, say, the next five years. I particularly want to pay far more attention to the standards of comfort and cleanliness.

Tourism takes many forms in this country. The Tidy Towns Competition has lost a lot of the dynamic it had in previous years. It is very hard to know the reason for this. Certainly some towns which have been entering this competition seem to have lost a lot of steam in the efforts put in. It would benefit our country if Bord Fáilte were to look at the Tidy Towns Competition and see if it could be reorganised, if it could be given some additional incentives which would bring greater participation by the people and greater efforts on the part of local authorities. Local authorities have not been giving the type of support and back-up service which they should in regard to tidy towns participation. Far too often it has been left in the hands of a few local people. It is commendable to have local people involved in this, but local authorities certainly have a responsibility, and I think that responsibility was envisaged in the founding Act which established the tourism industry here.

All in all, tourism is a vital contributing factor to our economy, and when one adds the multiplier effects, namely, the additional revenue spinoffs and so on it provides through spending in other sectors we see the part that tourism does play in our economy. Anything that can help that in the future is to be commended. The Minister, in bringing forward this Bill, certainly will not have any difficulty in getting it passed. I can only hope that the additional money which is provided will be spent in the best possible places. Let us not be too sentimental in thinking that every part of this country has something to offer to strangers. It has not, and let us be honest about it. Senator Dolan made comments about Ireland not suffering from earthquakes or tornadoes or what-not. We certainly do not; neither does Spain or France, but they have the good weather which we have not. Let us be honest enough to admit that we have not the type of weather which entices people to go sunbathing except when we have a season like we had in 1975. If we are more honest and realistic in our attitude towards tourism and, within the limitations which our climate puts before us, try to create comfort, cleanliness and interest for our visitors and retain our amenities and the tranquillity as far as we can in an age of industrialisation, I think we will certainly have much more to gain from tourism in the future than we have in the past.

Mr. Daly

I do not think it would be right for one who comes from the premier tourist resort in this country not to say a few words on this Bill. Everybody knows that Killarney is beauty's home and heaven's reflex. I welcome this Bill. The only reservation I have is that there is not even more money. Tourism has benefited a lot from Bord Fáilte in the past. It is taking a lot of money to keep it going and will require even more money. I would like to offer an idea to the Minister which would save a lot of money and would save even having Bord Fáilte. In this country, as pointed out by Senator Markey, we do not have the climate or the sunshine but we do have the most beautiful country in the world. If you compare that with Monaco, where you can see nothing but a lump of rock if you look out the casino window, that casino not only subsidises the tourist industry but finances the country.

What I would like to see, if it were possible, is three State casinos, which would attract the people with money to this country. The revenue from these casinos would bring our cigarettes back to 20 for 5p and reduce the price of all other commodities and this would attract the people back here again. If the experiment were to be tried with one casino — and the natural place for that would be Killarney and, following that, Dublin and Galway — it would be interesting to see what the Minister's researchers would come up with.

Mr. Deasy

I welcome this Bill and congratulate the Minister and Bord Fáilte for the wonderful work they have done in the interest of tourism in this country. Quite frequently in the rural areas we get the expression that there are no jobs in scenery when certain individuals are trying to give a reason why planning permission should be granted in a scenic area or why an industry which is not compatible with that area should get planning permission or should be sited in such an area. We, as public representatives, are probably to blame if we advocate moves of this kind. Our tourist industry is based on a number of factors, the major one being the beautiful scenery of the country and, secondly, the homeliness of the people and the nice, easygoing way of life. It is up to us, as individuals, to be pleasant to the visitors. We should under no circumstances allow the beautiful nature of the country to be spoilt. This idea of using section 4 to permit buildings to be erected between road and seaside and between road and scenic view of the mountains is being abused. It is to the detriment of our tourist industry and we should all be unanimous in decrying this type of activity.

There are probably three major factors which have affected our tourist industry in the past six years. One, of course, is the troubles in Northern Ireland; secondly, our cost of living has risen quite a bit and we are now level with that in Great Britain and, although we are not yet quite as high as that on the Continent, we are still quite high. Whereas people enjoyed an advantage by holidaying in Ireland years ago, in that they could get commodities much cheaper, nowadays that differential hardly exists at all. The third factor detrimental to our tourist industry is a series of habits which we have in this country which give rise to the description of us as a dirty nation. We too easily accept filth and low standards in places frequented by tourists.

Today I was looking through the national daily papers which contained reports of hotels some of which had been upgraded and some of which had been downgraded as a result of the tourist board's investigations during the year. I wondered to what extent the tourist board base their findings on the conditions they find in these hotels, public houses and other buildings frequented by tourists. I would refer in particular to the standard of toilets and washing facilities in these buildings. I would hate to think that the tourist board would condone the type of conditions which most of us witness every now and again. Of course the better class hotels set a very high standard all round, but there must be some hotels and lounge bars and so on getting grants on the basis of doing service to the tourist industry which should not be getting them because of the standards they adopt. Sanitary standards should be a very major consideration when grants are being given out or when gradings are being made.

Some of our methods of handling food must shock foreign visitors, Continentals and people from Great Britain. It is quite common to see food which is about to be served being handled. The Minister might bring this to the notice of the Minister for Health or whoever it is controls the health inspectors, because it is their business to see that sanitary arrangements and the handling of food is of the very highest standard.

Mr. P. Barry

It is for the local authority.

Mr. Deasy

It was, but it has been taken away now and is now under the regional health boards. This is not being followed up and I believe we are losing rather heavily because of this. We have a tag of being a filthy nation which may be untrue to quite an extent but not altogether; we have quite a way to go yet.

I should like to compliment Bord Fáilte on their initiative. I read in their report that they have financed 19 holiday and tourist resorts in recent years. I have seen one of these projects in operation from the very beginning and it is a credit to Bord Fáilte, and that is the development of Tramore. It is an example of what could be done elsewhere in the country.

I heard a previous speaker referring to the fact that we should not commercialise resorts. People are not satisfied nowadays just to go to a beach of golden sand and be blown out of it on a windy day or be soaked on a wet day. They want the backup type of facility such as pitch and putt courses, boating lakes, amusements arcades and children's playgrounds. This has all been provided in Tramore. There is a body set up there called Tramore Fáilte, which is almost independent of Bord Fáilte. They have great autonomy. They provide all these services and it is a magnificent attraction. It is one of the few areas in the country where the tourist industry has boomed in recent years. This type of tourist centre should be extended. Salthill, I believe, is along the same lines. Such centres are a tremendous acquisition.

What is important is that they fulfil the needs of the visitors and they are the people we wish to cater for. They are not against the Brighton type of seaside resort. They quite like it and, if they like it, it is our duty to provide it. I would not say that Tramore is as gaudy as Brighton but the facilities are these which are wanted by the public, be they day trippers or permanent visitors from Great Britain. It is commercialised to a certain extent but it fulfils a need.

I feel that it was a retrograde step to abolish amenity grants and I think the tourist board probably would agree with me on that. Amenity grants help the type of development that they would advocate. There are still large numbers of beaches which are inaccessible because we have not got roadways leading to them. This applies to mountain areas also. There are lanes or boreens, as we call them, but these could be developed to allow access by cars and car parks could also be developed. Abolishing the amenity grants has stunted this type of development and we should press that they be renewed as soon as possible.

One other matter which causes discontent among tourists is our poor method of signposting. Our signposting is inadequate. Very often beauty spots are missed either because the signposting is inadequate or does not exist at all. The tourist board have a function in this matter and I ask that the number of signposts, their size and quality be improved, so that people do not go astray. There is nothing more annoying than to set out to visit a particular place and fail to arrive because signposts were turned round, or were not large enough, or were not there at all. This is a pretty common thing in Ireland at the moment.

Minister for Transport and Power (Mr. P. Barry)

As usual, when I introduce a Bill on tourism in either the Seanad or in Dáil Éireann I am very pleased with its reception and with the ideas public representatives have to offer. When this Bill was debated in the Dáil a large number of Deputies spoke on it. It has been the same in the Seanad. This is as it should be because tourism vitally concerns us all.

My Department have many different functions and are responsible for the running of several semi-State bodies, but of all my responsibilities the one people speak to me about most is tourism. Everybody is an authority on tourism, and that is quite true. Everybody has a responsibility for tourism. It is not enough to say — and Senator Markey brought out this point very well — that tourism is the responsibility of the Minister or of Bord Fáilte. It is everybody's responsibility. Everybody benefits from tourism and everybody should contribute to it.

The partnership which Senator Markey spoke about between the local authorities and tourism is what Bord Fáilte want, and I should like to see the partnership which Bord Fáilte desire reciprocated by local authorities. They can do this in a very practical way by voting extra money to their own local tourism organisations. At one time there was a limit to the amount of money which a local authority could devote to tourism, but that limit has gone. This is money which they can be sure will be spent in their own locality and will be spent on the advice, and with the help, of Bord Fáilte. If Bord Fáilte choose to spend money in their area, the closer the co-operation between Bord Fáilte and the local authority, the more sure the local authority can be that Bord Fáilte will accept their advice and listen to what they have to say about development in their area.

Tourism is an industry which has been good for this country for a number of years and for a number of reasons. Anybody associated with the tourist industry knows that 1972 was probably our worst and most disappointing year. As I said in my opening statement, in 1973 we had an increase in tourism over 1972. We also had an increase in 1974 over 1973. We had an increase in 1975 over 1974 and, even though those figures are not yet final, we expect to have a real increase of 4 per cent. Tourism will earn for us £160 million. That will be separate from our earnings in the home holidays campaign. Of course, this is very important from the revenue point of view, but it is as important from another point of view, because the tourists we get here, even though they want to see the capital city and other cities, tend to move out into areas where there is no industry.

I appreciate what Senator Deasy said about how successful Tramore is. Indeed, it is a model for many parts of the country, a model in the way it has been promoted and run and the considerable success which has been achieved.

We must try to cater for different people with different tastes. Whether they want the Tramore type holiday or to wander out to Slea Head or Ballyferriter in the Gaeltacht in Senator Daly's area, or whether they want to go out to the Aran Islands or to stay in Dublin, certain factors are looked for by every tourist. At the head of that list is cleanliness, friendliness, good food and comfort. They are basic. No amount of charm, no smile on the face of a publican, no witty comment by him, will wipe out the impression of his thumb inside a glass. That low standard should be gone forever. We must have standards of hygiene, service and cleanliness, in addition to quality food and drink equal to anywhere in the world. The more people travel around, the more they experience these high standards They expect us to have them here and we should provide them.

Frequently hoteliers complain to me about grading. Senators will have seen in this morning's newspapers a list of hotels which have been regraded by Bord Fáilte — some up, some down. I do not offer any excuse to hoteliers who have been downgraded because they are harming our tourist industry and this country. Standards must be high. Senator Deasy, I think, asked how they judged the standard of grades. Was it by the hotel itself, toilets, washbasins? Everything is inspected by Bord Fáilte officials when they visit a hotel. In fact, one hotelier complained that he lost marks because there was dust on top of the lintel. He said they climbed up on a chair, and ran their fingers along the lintel and because there was dust there he lost marks. That is as it should be. We must have high standards. After that can come the friendliness, the uncrowded roads, the beautiful scenery. All these things count, but we must have a very high standard of cleanliness.

We have much to offer visitors to our country. As cities expand more and more, what they will look for, after basic standards, are relaxation and peace, reasonably uncluttered roads, beautiful rivers — these are now being provided with boats for the enjoyment of a river holiday — and seaside resorts where the beaches should be kept clean. Of course, the provision of high standards of cleanliness do not apply only to publicans; it applies to communities as well. Towns and cities must be kept clean. Beaches must be cleaned. We must ensure that our streets and our towns are not offensive to our visitors. Senator Markey said that the Tidy Towns competition had lost its dynamism. I do not think this is true because the smaller towns are still very interested in it and have put a tremendous amount of community work into developing their towns in order to achieve as high a number of marks as possible in this competition.

It is true that the larger towns and cities are not as clean as they should be. This is a matter of concern to Bord Fáilte and it is going to absorb their attention this year and next year. They will try to see if there is some way of organising large towns and parishes into smaller areas so that they will be on the same level as most of our smaller villages and towns. Senator Butler referred to driving from Dublin to Cork or Cahir and seeing a number of towns that are, perhaps, not as clean as they should be. This is certainly true. I think what is lacking here is that Bord Fáilte is a national organisation. It encourages, pushes along and dangles, a carrot in the form of prizes to stimulate people into improving the tourist industry.

More concern should be shown by the local authorities. Many Deputies and Senators are members of local authorities and at the time of reviewing of estimates I should like to see every local authority having a debate on tourism and on what they can do in that local authority area to promote tourism for their county, their county borough, their urban district council, or their town commission. When these estimates come up I hope that Senators who are members of local authorities will ask for as big a contribution from the rates as possible for tourism. At the same time they should use the occasions to speak on tourism, to speak on the necessity, the benefits and the advantages to the area of tourism, of the necessity for keeping the place attractive to tourists, of the benefits derived and of the less tangible but no less real benefit of getting to know people. Tourism is important from that aspect as well.

Many of our problems in this country arise from the fact that we do not know our neighbours well enough nor do we understand their point of view. I am speaking particularly of the people in the North of Ireland. We have not taken the trouble to go and talk to them and meet them in their homes. We have not let them know that they are welcome down here, that we want to talk to them in our homes. In this island we can do that. In a much greater way, in a world or European dimension, we can meet Spaniards, French or English or Americans who come here and find out their point of view. If we go to their country, we can find out what they are thinking and get to understand them better. We should not imitate other countries. The attraction of this country is for other people to see us as we are, to see something they will not see at home.

Senator Dolan referred to signposts. It has always amazed me that people object to having Irish signposts in the Gaeltacht areas. People say we are interfering with tourism when we do not erect English signposts. Who expects to see an English signpost in the middle of Paris? People want to see us as we are. The language of the Gaeltacht is Irish and the signposts in the Gaeltacht should be in that language. People who visit the Gaeltacht and see signs in English might feel that they were being duped.

A number of useful suggestions were made by Senators during this debate and I shall be very glad to bring them to the attention of Bord Fáilte. I should like to ask the Senators, particularly those who are members of local authorities, to insist on a discussion on tourism when estimates are being discussed. They should try to ensure that the level of subvention from the local authorities to the local tourism organisation is as high as possible.

It has been said by some Senators that the amount of money I am looking for here is not enough. This is not a figure I pulled out of the air. This figure was arrived at after consultation with Bord Fáilte. This is the money they feel they need for the next two or three years. It would be easy for me to say: "We will give you four times that." They cannot spend any of the money in any one year unless it is voted by the Dáil. It would be easy for me to say: "We will give you £19 million and do not come back to us again for 12 years." That would not be right. They must come back here. I must account for them and allow a discussion on tourism to take place in the Dáil and Seanad. That is why we give the amount they consider necessary to do their job for the next two or three years. Then they can come back to my Department and I have to come back to the Dáil and Seanad and let the discussion take place again on tourism.

I should like to thank the Seanad for the reception given to this Bill. I appreciate very much the contributions made by all the Senators. I will bring all suggestions made to the attention of Bord Fáilte.

Question put and agreed to.

Agreed to take remaining Stages today.

Bill put through Committee, reported without amendment, received for final consideration and passed.

The Seanad adjourned at 4.55 p.m. until 3 p.m. on Wednesday, 3rd December, 1975.