Tourist Traffic Bill, 1979 [ Certified Money Bill ]: Second and Subsequent Stages.

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

Minister for Tourism and Transport (Mr. Faulkner)

The Tourist Traffic Bill, 1979 proposes to raise the statutory limits on Bord Fáilte's accommodation expenditure from £16 million to £25 million and on non-accommodation expenditure from £4.75 million to £10 million. The increase for accommodation proposed represents a very considerable stepping up of the scope for expenditure as against previous similar measures.

I am pleased to say that in the context of increased limits I intend authorising Bord Fáilte to introduce a new cash incentive scheme for new hotel bedrooms and an extension to the country at large of the existing supplementary holiday accommodation scheme which up to now has been confined to the special development area which embraces, roughly, the 13 westernmost counties from Donegal to Kerry.

Tourism to Ireland has staged a strong recovery and we have had an increase of nearly 480,000 visitors, equivalent to 27 per cent, in the 1977 to 1978 period. All successful tourist destinations are founded on a satisfactory range of access transport facilities and an adequate supply of accommodation. The Government's Green Paper of last year recognised that an accommodation shortfall could act as a constraint on growth. One of the options in the Green Paper was to anticipate such a shortfall by bringing forward plans for future investment and concentrating on securing accelerated development for the 1980 season and immediately thereafter. We are now, in effect, taking up that option. Despite the problems which tourism has faced this year, I have every confidence in the future of tourism and in its ability to overcome the present temporary adversity and to continue to expand and develop. The decision to reintroduce accommodation grants expresses that vote of confidence in practical terms.

Tourist projections prepared by Bord Fáilte showed that tourist numbers would continue to rise to 2.7 million by 1981. A very important feature of the growth is that the numbers of ethnic or Irish-related visitors from abroad are tending to stabilise so that a considerable bulk of the projected growth represents non-ethnic visitors who will make more use of commercial accommodation. In settling the type of incentive scheme which would produce the best results, I have had regard to past experience, the financial state of the industry and the level of incentive which would provide the proper stimulus. The principles embodied aim to secure optimum increase in the accommodation stock at national and local levels and the main features are as follows:

(a) it is framed on a selective basis so that it will represent a correct response to our needs;

(b) it is related solely to the cost of providing additional bedrooms;

(c) there will be different levels of grant related roughly to estimated need with grants from 25 per cent to 35 per cent of room cost subject to fixed cash maxima;

(d) priority will be given to the extension of existing hotels over the construction of new hotels, and new hotel construction in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Shannon, Killarney and other major conurbations with a substantial tourism-business base will not qualify for grants.

I have instructed Bord Fáilte to prepare a detailed scheme embodying these principles so that on passage of the measure now before the House they will be able to consider applications and undertake the financial commitments, for which new moneys can be provided.

The other major change which I propose is the extension of the supplementary holiday accommodation scheme which was established in 1967 and which at present applies only to the non-urban areas within the special development area. The scheme, as its title implies, was designed to encourage the provision of a supply of extra bedrooms through the addition of new rooms to existing private houses. Over the past number of years farmhouse accommodation has developed into a very distinctive tourist product in its own right. The high rates of occupancy enjoyed suggest that there is considerable scope for development of this product. I have, therefore, authorised the countrywide extension of the scheme, a doubling of the size of the fund and a raising of grant levels from £700 to £1,000 per house in a single year subject to a maximum of £3,000 overall. The scheme will also be used to upgrade many existing approved farmhouse, town and countryhouses in all areas of the country through the provision of extra facilities such as hot water, handbasins in bedrooms and so on. These improvement works will enable small rural areas to be promoted more vigorously and through a longer season, especially in those areas where it will be possible to build on activities such as fishing and shooting. The preference of the special development area will be retained by provisions designed for topping up grants to premises located there.

The new arrangements for hotels and supplementary accommodation will be introduced strictly in accordance with the main features I have outlined and will operate on that basis for some time. I will, however, see to it that all details of the schemes will be carefuly monitored to ensure that we get a satisfactory response. Bord Fáilte will, of course continue their existing programme of ongoing capital accommodation expenditure on such items as camping-caravan sites, An Óige type developments and its accommodation improvements scheme except that in the last case and in tune with the drive to concentrate on providing extra accommodation the scheme, as is now generally known, is now being focussed on improvement and upgrading of bedrooms.

Some years ago a new fund was established with a limit of £4.75 million for development works of a capital nature other than accommodation which in the opinion of Bord Fáilte would promote the development of tourist traffic. The board's plan set out proposals for capital spending which included joint development with bodies such as the Office of Public Works, and the Forest and Wildlife Service, on conservation, recreational and educational projects as well as expenditure to encourage the improvement of facilities by those directly involved with sailing and water sports, horse riding, horsedrawn caravans, sea angling, swimming pools, recreational projects and similar activities and facilities. Works have been undertaken in close co-operation with the regional tourism organisations, local authorities and other interested parties in this ongoing process which meets present and future needs of tourists.

I attach great importance to work of this kind. No country can rely solely on its scenery and other inherent attractions for success in tourism. Growth will depend on continuing to attract an increasingly sophisticated ethnic tourist, and the non-ethnic visitor who expects a range of facilities which would be normal elsewhere. All of the visitor products created by Bord Fáilte spending contribute to the stock of facilities available for visitors and residents alike and are a positive aid in generating new business and attracting repeat business. Many are not directly revenue producing while others have a highly commercial content but because of seasonality and other risk factors, the long developmental period and high capital cost involved, would have developed more slowly without the incentives Bord Fáilte are enabled to give.

The proposed increase in the present statutory limit from £4.75 million to £10 million guarantees the contribution by Bord Fáilte to the process of providing facilities of the right kind in the right place. Bord Fáilte, the regional tourism organisations, the local authorities and other State agencies such as the OPW and Forest and Wildlife Service are all doing an excellent job of work in this area.

Tourism is a major earner of foreign currency. It contributes largely to our balance of payments. The import content is lower than for other sectors and, since it is a labour intensive industry, the job creation potential is greater. Most important of all its benefits are widely dispersed throughout the country so that it is an excellent aid to regional development. The proposals for tourism I have announced denote a strong vote of confidence in the future of the tourist industry as well as a clear acknowledgment of the part tourism plays in the economy of the country. As a further statement of Government confidence another Bill is in progress to provide moneys to enable the B & I to finance an additional passenger car-ferry for delivery for the 1981 season.

The extra funds which we have been making available for tourism promotion over the past two years have been paying dividends and have enabled Bord Fáilte to campaign more vigorously in existing markets and also to begin to explore new market areas. By the end of last year we had again built up to the levels of our previous highest tourism year, 1969, and were set out to share in continued tourism growth. Tourism in Ireland has, however, experienced special difficulties this year indeed, some of the problems are worldwide. The effects of the postal dispute were seriously compounded by the oil shortfall which existed for a period but it is difficult to get a sound assessment of the overall position. The picture that emerges is that while carryings to Ireland were up earlier in the year overall expectations of carryings were down on the target for 1979. The carriers, particularly the sea carriers, planned for substantial increases on 1978 capacity. While these schedules have not yet been fully implemented we still have the same level of services to Ireland as we had in our record breaking year of 1978. The review of projections for the year would be a difficult exercise particularly since the bulk of the season is yet to come and conditions are now improving. Bord Fáilte have moreover mounted vigorous promotional efforts at home and abroad — where I have, personally, taken an active part — and these factors combined may produce the turnaround we need. The board's present hope is that we may at best equal the 1978 performance, which was an all time record. My personal belief is that after a pause this year we will be ready to move forward again at or near growth rates previously forecast.

We have, of course, vigorously tackled the petroleum oil problem in the tourist interest. The first pressures on tourism were on the use of diesel oil used for coaches and cooking-heating in hotels. Very early on, the Government declared tourism one of the priority areas and the difficulties with diesel largely faded for tourism. Following the onset of the petrol difficulties Bord Fáilte and my Department were very active in seeking to ensure that the quota of fuel used by tourists, and on which part of our 1979 allocations are being based, would in fact be available for tourists. The result was the voucher scheme to ensure minimum supplies for visitors, which I believe to be unique and which operates as an assurance for visitors that their needs will be catered for in Ireland.

The scheme must be seen in perspective. Tourism is an essential industry on which over 100,000 jobs depend, not to mention the other very tangible benefits. It is also a service industry dealing in a very perishable commodity which cannot be stored or left on a shelf until the customer is ready to collect it. The motoring holiday has grown so enormously in popularity and is such an important means of spreading the benefits of tourism around the country that the Government were happy to make this positive response to the needs of the industry. I have also arranged with Bord Fáilte to implement a scheme to assure Northern Ireland motoring tourists a minimum supply of petrol while they are on holiday here. I think all will agree that the steps we have taken on the petrol front to protect the tourist industry have been a great reassurance to tourists and were both necessary and worthwhile. I hope the industrial action in the sector will soon be settled.

Meanwhile, the general basic fuel position continues to stabilise and if everybody uses energy sensibly and sparingly there will be sufficient for all sectors of industry including, of course, the very important home holiday market. As Deputies are aware, a major energy conservation campaign has been launched throughout the country and I am pleased to mention that Bord Fáilte and the tourist industry are complementing this through the establishment of an energy conservation committee within the tourist industry.

All in all, therefore, the position is that Bord Fáilte hope that it may yet be possible to approach or match the all time record achieved last year. Despite the temporary setbacks which we are experiencing this year and which I hope will resolve themselves fairly quickly, the underlying trend in tourism is inexorably upwards and the mood is one of confidence in the long-term growth prospects. I hope the industry will recognise the emphatic declaration of the Government's confidence represented by this measure which involves making available an incentive scheme for new rooms for the first time in many years. The scheme will not do the job by itself. We have to plan and work for growth and, above all, ensure that we have the necessary basic infrastructural requirements.

This is what we are aiming to do with this Bill, which I now commend to the House.

Mr. Molony

We do not find any objection to the content of this legislation, although we would regard it as more appropriate if some attempt was made at this stage to try to help our ailing tourist industry. In the course of his address the Minister said that the legislation was framed on a selective basis so that it would represent a correct response to our needs. It would have been better had the Minister said that it was framed on a selective basis so that it would represent a correct response to our future estimated needs. We certainly welcome the development of our hotels and the provision of more bedrooms but I do not believe that anybody who visited hotels, particularly in tourist areas in the west of Ireland, would say that this year they need any additional bedrooms. People from there know, as do people who have visited such areas, that most of the hotels are half empty.

I would also consider it more appropriate if Bord Fáilte were given money to spend this year on grants they had sanctioned for people and which people were meant to get. I am aware that grants were sanctioned for people in respect of property developed and goods purchased but these people have not received the grants because Bord Fáilte say they have no money They have spent their grant money for 1979; whether it is being spent on grants or not I am not aware. The truth is that if Bord Fáilte or the Minister wanted to help the tourist industry in Ireland this year, as the Minister has a duty to do, he would at least see that the board fulfil the promises they made to people in respect of grants that were sanctioned but were not paid.

It is not appropriate on the Second Reading of this Bill to discuss the full background to the major problems that created the tourist crisis this year. The telecommunications dispute and the fuel crisis were the major contributing factors. I have very definite views on whether there was ministerial responsibility for these crises but this is not the correct time to go into them. Given that the crisis occurred in both the telecommunications area and in the area of the provision of petrol to tourists and other people and given, from the point of view of this debate, that the Minister here today, or the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy, had no responsibility in the matter and did not contribute themselves to the problems that we had in the past six or eight months, there was a great deal that should have been done to try to alleviate the tourist disaster which we have had in 1979.

The Minister quotes Bord Fáilte as reckoning that they will at least have as good a year in 1979 as they had in 1978, which was a record year. I dearly hope he is correct but I doubt that he will be correct in terms of revenue. I am sure that in terms of the goodwill which is essential for us to generate among foreign visitors and particularly the non-ethnic classes of which the Minister has spoken, we certainly have generated none of that commodity. The inactivity of this country in the past several months has caused our tourist industry irreparable damage, not just for this year in terms of revenue but for future years as well. I believe that the very profound effect that the telecommunications dispute and the petrol crisis have had on our tourist industry will not be realised until the end of the year when the figures are added up and published.

I want to refer to some of the actions which I believe the Minister present might have taken when the telecommunications dispute occurred to try to alleviate some of the inconveniences and difficulties that were created. I know a great number of people — hotel owners and other operators within the tourist industry — who are receiving letters daily, dated several months ago, requesting booking of accommodation in a hotel, the hire of a boat or of a car for a period in May or June. In so far as the people who wrote these letters are concerned, mostly people on the Continent, they sent their letters last January or February and as far as they were concerned they received no reply and no indication as to why they did not receive a reply. To those people it must appear that the Irish are disinterested and grossly inefficient.

I wonder whether any specific attempts were made by Bord Fáilte or by the Department to inform people through the public press and the media generally on the Continent so that people would understand there was a telecommunications dispute in Ireland and to advise them not to write letters but to use some other means of communication. I say the Continent particularly because I am aware that action was taken in the United Kingdom. That action was very necessary after a now infamous television programme which portrayed some of the problems that existed in Ireland in so far as tourists were concerned. I know, as the Minister knows, that in the past few years there has been a tremendous growth in the number of continental people— Germans, Dutch, French and Italians — who come to Ireland during the summer to enjoy the facilities which we provide for them. Was there any real attempt made to inform potential visitors from the continental countries of the difficulties we had here? I do not believe there was.

I know of a number of tourists who had been in Ireland earlier this year and had written to hotel proprietors with whom they stayed on other occasions but from whom they received no reply. Since the postal dispute ended tourist operators in Ireland contacted those people to explain the situation and the response from potential visitors was one of complete surprise and amazement that there had been a postal dispute and that it could have lasted for so long.

I have great sympathy for the proprietors of hotels and guesthouses in the west who suffered not only from the postal dispute in so far as letters were concerned but also from the absence of any telephone service during what were crucial months for them. Their losses will be vast. Even now hotels in the west are only half full and hotel managers will tell you that it is not just because of the petrol situation but because their normal flow of visitors were not able to contact them they made alternative arrangements. I hope that Bord Fáilte, and particularly the Minister, will do whatever is appropriate to help those hotels and guesthouses to recoup some of the vast revenue losses they have suffered in 1979.

The other great difficulty for tourists in 1979 was the energy crisis. I should like to ask the Minister some questions about the voucher system which was introduced. I know tourists who had vouchers but who could not get petrol because petrol stations were closed. Is there any obligation on the owners of petrol stations to open if a tourist with a voucher asks for petrol? I should like to know why, when Bord Fáilte run a massive campaign in Ireland every year asking our own people to discover Ireland, these home tourists are not regarded as tourists for the purposes of the energy crisis or as people for whom it is appropriate to go on a motoring holiday? Why is it that people from Tipperary who go to Kerry or Connemara cannot get petrol? Are they not as valuable to the hotels and restaurants and the commerce of the tourism industry in the west as is the foreign tourist? What arrangements have been made with regard to the distribution of petrol vouchers to those people who have come to Ireland via ferry from the United Kingdom to the North of Ireland? Where have these people been able to get petrol vouchers?

I understand from one person who came across on that ferry last week that, before they arrived in the North, passengers were advised over the public address system that tourists in the Republic of Ireland would be able to obtain petrol vouchers in a number of towns. Two or three were mentioned but they were mentioned so quickly that even this man to whom I spoke, who is an Irishman and who is familiar with most of the towns in Ireland, did not catch them. There were tourists from the United Kingdom coming to visit Ireland in their cars on that ferry, and they had to inquire from him as to where these towns were. He thought one was Mullingar and he mentioned it to these people, who told him they were not going anywhere near Mullingar and asked what were they to do for vouchers to keep themselves in petrol while they visited Ireland.

I have been amazed at the difficulty in getting petrol along the west coast of Ireland. A quota system is meant to operate so far as the distribution of supplies to petrol stations are concerned. One would imagine that, with the great tourist season we had last year, petrol stations all along the western coast, indeed in any good tourist area, would have had a very big turnover figure from 1978 and would, therefore, have received a very substantial quota to meet the demand that exists this year. I know from my own experience, not as a tourist but just as an ordinary citizen who goes down to west Cork, or Kerry, it is extremely difficult to get petrol there because the petrol stations are not open.

On the general fuel situation apart from petrol, the Minister made reference to tourism being regarded as a priority so far as the distribution of fuel for hotels was concerned. I had occasion in the House last night to raise a matter on the Adjournment about the conditions on Lough Derg so far as people who hired cruisers were concerned. I can tell the Minister — perhaps he is already aware of it; but if he is not, I should like to inform him — that at present it is impossibe for people who hire cruise boats to get diesel from anyone other than the person who hires the boat to them. This has greatly restricted the scope of travel these visitors — and most of them are continental visitors—are able to enjoy.

A very ironic thing has occurred which is appropriate to this Bill. It is a bit repetitive of an issue I raised here last night. The Electricity Supply Board had cause at the end of June to reduce the water level in Lough Derg by about five feet, one of the consequences of which is the fact that very many harbours all around Lough Derg are no longer navigable. It is quite impossible for any boat that leaves Killaloe to pull in anywhere along Lough Derg. They must travel up to Portumna, which is quite some distance. It is a four hour trip from Killaloe to Portumna. When you arrive in Portumna you are told you cannot have diesel for your boat. If a tourist asks where he will get diesel, he is told to go back to where he came from and he will get his diesel. The trouble is that you cannot pull in anywhere on the way back, so you have to go back to Killaloe to the person from whom you got the boat.

I know a number of tourists who are complaining bitterly that all they can do is bring their cruiser up and down Lough Derg without pulling up anywhere. You get enough diesel at the start to go to Portumna, where they will send you back to get more diesel to go further. You return to Killaloe and, if you want to go further, you can go back to Portumna and repeat the exercise. This sort of stupidity in a major growth industry is a classic example of the ineptitude of the managers of the tourism business in Ireland this year.

I complained here last night that the Electricity Supply Board, before they pulled out the stopper in Lough Derg and reduced the level of the water by five feet and caused such a massive loss of revenue to traders around Lough Derg, could at least have advised people beforehand of what was happening. The Minister responsible for the Office of Public Works told me here last night that they did, and produced the advertisement in the press that advised the people of this. The advertisement in the press was published after they had pulled the stopper, and left boats worth £40,000 in one particular harbour in County Clare sitting on dry land. The water was gone before the operator of those boats knew it was going. He is stuck with two new boats worth £40,000 embedded on a sandbank in his own harbour into which he put £100,000 last winter and which is unusable now. Those boats are costing him £500 per week loss of hire at the moment, while they lie there on that sandbank. The ESB did not tell that man about it before they pulled out the stopper in Lough Derg.

To my knowledge no marina on Lough Derg at the moment is navigable. The consequence of that is simple. It means that boats cannot pull into the side to take on their passengers. All that can be done is that the boats line up six to 12 abreast along the edge of the lake, and tourists climb from one to the other with their bag and baggage until they get to the one which is theirs. An alternative system adopted is that they are moored away out in the middle of the navigation channel on the lake and the tourists are ferried out in dinghies. I know of one unfortunate German who broke his arm in an attempt to get from his dinghy to his boat. In fairness to them, most of the continental hirers regard it all as rather quaint. They think it is a nice touch of additional adventure to their holiday. There are some who are very annoyed, and who wonder whether they are being badly hoodwinked. They now know of the telecommunications dispute. They know of the energy crisis. They did not know there was a water crisis in Ireland. They find it very odd to have been invited to a country where they were asked to visit the beautiful hamlets around Lough Derg, and enjoy the cuisine in Dromineer, and the nice country public houses in Terryglass and Kilgarvan, and in the other little harbours around Lough Derg. They come and find they cannot visit those places because they cannot get into them. They discover that when you go as far as you can and pull up, namely, Portumna, you have to go back to get fuel to go further.

It is an indictment of the managers of our tourist industry that, in a year when we had so many problems, no effort was made by the ESB in this instance — or by Bord Fáilte who should have been informed by the ESB that this was going to happen so that they might at least explain to our tourists what the problem was — to explain those problems to tourists. To give some idea of the market denied to traders on Lough Derg, and to give some idea of the number of people who are being inconvenienced, in 1978, 22,000 people enjoyed a cruise on the Shannon, of whom 20,000 people were foreigners. What will those people think of this country? What attempt was made to tell them of our difficulty?

I know of boat hire operators who are trying to explain to them that it is not their fault, that normally there is water in the lake but, on this occasion, because of a national crisis, or because of an industrial dispute at Poolbeg generating station, or because of a blunder made by the ESB when they tried to lower the level of the water too quickly, these problems have arisen. The visitors cannot understand why they were not informed in some official way. There are only about a dozen points on the lake from which these boats operate. If the ESB had taken the one little exercise in public relations of putting an official notice up beside the jetties or marinas to which these people go, the situation could have been explained to them, but it was not. It is like the bungling that occurred in relation to the voucher system so far as foreign tourists are concerned, and particularly tourists who come in via the North of Ireland, and the bungling that went on over the telecommunications dispute. There was a patent lack of any effort to explain to our visitors what the problems were.

I hope we will recover from the mess we are in. I am sure this country has in its own resources sufficient attraction to help overcome it. Regardless of the optimism in the Minister's speech, I can tell this House that the loss to this country has been very substantial. If you do not believe me, go and visit those people who are relying on the tourist industry to make money, and are in a position to observe the level of operation of our tourist industry in Ireland this year, and they will tell you very quickly what it is like. Go and look in the towns of west Cork, Kerry and Connemara and judge from your own experience what the level of business is like. It is at an all-time low. That is the reality of this situation and it is a reality of which we should be ashamed to speak but of which we must speak.

I want to ask the Minister whether Bord Fáilte are presently starved of funds, not for next year or for hotel bedrooms for next year or 1981 but at present. I am aware that people who had purchased goods in respect of which they received grant sanction from Bord Fáilte have not received the money because Bord Fáilte say they have not got the money. I want to know whether Bord Fáilte are being starved at a time when money needs to be poured into them on a massive scale to try to draw some additional tourist business for this country in the late summer and autumn of this year. If that extra effort is not made now, and time is running out, 1979 will prove to be an utter disaster for this country.

Ruairí Brugha

The subject matter of the Minister's speech and the follow-up by Senator Molony prompt me, first of all, to express a word of sympathy for the Minister who inherited the situation in the Department for which he is responsible. While Senator Molony is entitled to be critical——

Mr. Molony

I did not touch that issue. We will get another day.

Ruairí Brugha

We will. It is only fair to say that, in the interests of the taxpayer, the Minister should be congratulated for standing his ground, and I will not go any further than that. I said that some sympathy was due to the Minister because he has been the butt of attack from all sides. In view of that I welcome the optimistic note in his speech. Some Senators may be aware of different situations in different parts of the country. I have been around the country and the parts of it in which I have been are not that badly off. In other words, it is not a total mess. I will not go into geographical details.

I should like to say a few words about the cause of the difficulties because the matter merits a few words. I am glad that the Minister, at the end of his speech, touched on the matter of the consequences of the fuel situation and of the postal strike. Bord Fáilte should assess the job losses consequent on hotels not being available by telephone for bookings. Those involved in the strike should have brought home to them the responsibility for the job losses.

Mr. Molony

Said like a true capitalist.

An Leas-Chathaoirleach

Senator Brugha without interruption, please.

Ruairí Brugha

Both Government and Opposition agree with the need to provide employment. God knows how many young people there are this summer who have not even got the temporary work that they would have looked forward to in various parts of the country in hotels which have not got bookings. The consequences to the economy and to the people of trade disputes, particularly trade disputes in the public service, in our public monopolies, should be brought home to all of those involved in the industrial relations malaise from which we have been suffering. Even in this city at present I shudder to think of the feelings of visitors to Dublin who see the piles of refuse bags outside houses, not to mention other refuse spilled out in some areas in the city. We are going to suffer from the postal dispute for a long time to come.

The petrol problem is a difficult one in the sense that it is partly industrial and partly due to the energy crisis. Senator Molony gave one side of the picture but I think there is good and bad among the petrol distributors. I have been right across Ireland and I have seen places where some distributors have advertised their opening times. They have at least conveyed that bit of information to the unfortunate motoring public and to the visitors.

Mr. Molony

Why not remain open?

Ruarí Brugha

Not all of them are. I think Senator Molony knows the problems better than I do.

Mr. Molony

What is the point in having vouchers?

Ruairí Brugha

I will come to the vouchers in a few minutes.

An Leas-Chathaoirleach

The Senator will have an opportunity of making his points. Senator Brugha without interruption, please.

Ruairí Brugha

I do not object to Senator Molony's interventions. He has a point when he says that, if you are travelling from one part of Ireland to another, even to go on holidays, you need to be able to get petrol. If Senator Molony is travelling in the south of Ireland I will let him know a few garages that are doing their job. If he is there at the right time in the morning he will get his ration of petrol. But I would ask the Minister, either through his own office or through Bord Fáilte, to try to get a bit more discpiline and efficiency into the petrol distribution business. I know it is a private enterprise area and because it is a private enterprise area it should be more efficient. There is a lot of room for improvement. I understand that the settlement of the industrial dispute will lead to a much improved situation.

Bord Fáilte should be complimented for introducing the voucher scheme, rather than closing their eyes to the issue. I would ask the Minister to find out for us exactly what is going on in that area. Is the scheme working? Are there any grounds for believing that the overall solution to this problem is rationing? If not rationing, what is the solution? I think it should be possible to work out some solution. Whether every petrol station will agree to open for an hour every day or for two hours every day, let us have something uniform so that at least, apart from our own difficulties as individuals, our visitors may have an idea of where they stand in both North and South.

I think I have said enough by way of criticism in that area to keep the Minister busy. I welcome the Minister's speech and the Bill. I welcome the note of optimism. I congratulate Bord Fáilte and I congratulate the Minister on his approach to the effort of solving the problems and improving our tourist situation despite the handicaps we have seen over the past six months.

I should like to ask the Minister what form of inspection system is being employed at present in relation to hotels and restaurants. Most of our hotels are reasonably efficient, though there are the odd cases of toilets left dirty and so on. Unfortunately these are the cases we hear about; we do not hear about those who are doing their job. Perhaps the Minister might have a talk with Bord Fáilte about the inspection system and how it is working.

I would like also to compliment particularly the Forest and Wildlife Service. They are doing an excellent job. It is something we can boast of without the fear that we might be let down. There are notices throughout the country about forest walks and people are beginning to avail of the service. I would like to compliment the regional bodies on their efforts, particularly the directors of all the voluntary bodies who attend meetings regularly and try to do a worthwhile job.

Without going into it too deeply, I would like the Minister to take up with Bord Fáilte the question of meal prices. I have noticed a big difference in meal prices in hotels and restaurants in different places. I do not want to pinpoint any particular area but it is something of which we should be conscious. Over the last 18 months I have regularly been in different European cities, towns and country places, and in some areas in Ireland prices are not far behind prices in Europe. Perhaps the Minister would look into this matter.

Senator Molony has been very critical of the ESB and, I think, justifiably so. I am critical of another State service, namely CIE. I boarded a train early this week well over 100 miles from Dublin at eight o'clock in the morning. My first criticism is that the carriage was very old. This might be justifiable in the sense that I understand CIE are looking for capital from the Minister to replace stock. Perhaps the early hour of the morning would justify the use of the older rolling stock. What could not be justified was the condition of that carriage. This was in July, in the middle of the tourist season. There were beer bottles rolling from under the seats. The windows were filthy. It looked as if the carriage had not been washed for a month. It is reasonable for any public representative to criticise those matters where a company have a very large number of employees. There must be a serious defect somewhere. It would not be fair to describe the location, but there might be more trains in that condition and I am letting CIE know.

It would be wrong for me to say that workers did not do their job; it goes deeper than that. If a train in that condition leaves a station in a remote part of Ireland at eight o'clock in the morning to cross the country to Dublin, somebody in a supervisory area is responsible, apart from the people who have to do the cleaning. It is a management responsibility. Good management makes for good workers, and responsibility starts at management level. One could go too far, perhaps, in criticising public companies, but we need to see greater attention to management responsibility in public service organisations such as CIE. That particular example is a frightening one in the sense that at many stations on the way to Dublin I saw tourists boarding that train. I am not asking the Minister to take up the matter because I have taken it up here. I hope that kind of inefficiency will be dealt with by CIE right away.

There are major problems in connection with the energy campaign we need and how to dovetail an efficient tourist service with it. There is a lot to be done there. I would urge the Minister to get his staff, Bord Fáilte and CIE working in that area because it is of tremendous importance, particularly in regard to the young people who can get occasional employment in the tourist area during the summer when they are possibly idle.

I commend the Minister again for his efforts in connection with tourism, and I welcome the Bill.

Mr. Blennerhassett

I welcome the Bill, as I would welcome any Bill that provides more money. This money was never more needed than at present. The sum of £9 million is to be made available to Bord Fáilte to provide more rooms in hotels, and £5.24 million is to be used for other non-accommodation items. I wonder how that £14.25 million is to be made available?

I welcome any money to expand our hotels because the tourist industry is a major one which employs many people. There are more than 100,000 people employed for quite a few months of every year. I wonder if money would be made available through Bord Fáilte to the existing hotels who are in dire trouble. In my county there are many hotels, both big and small, which are half empty at the present time. It would be far more important if Bord Fáilte could make money available to the hoteliers who are in dire trouble and who in the last few years have extended their premises and who are now paying very high rates. If the Minister could instruct Bord Fáilte to help those hotels by paying something to them towards their rates or if the Government would remove VAT from all meals and accommodation in hotels it would help the industry and the owners of the hotels.

There are some reasons for the hotels being empty. One was the postal strike earlier on which lasted a very long time and hoteliers did not receive any communication from people who wanted to come into Ireland. There is also the petrol problem at the moment. When a tourist arrives in Tralee town he is informed that he has to travel 21 miles to get petrol vouchers but he may not have enough petrol to arrive in Killarney. It is outrageous that something like this should happen because some of our garages open only two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening. I have seen garages accommodating tourists without any vouchers whatsoever and I pay tribute to them. However, many garages cater only for the local customers and this is particularly true of villages where the petrol supply is always taken up by the local people.

In the past few years we have built up a huge tourist industry in Ireland. For a few years before that we had a falling-off owing to the troubled times in the North of Ireland, but I am very happy to say that now we can see people from the North of Ireland and Great Britain coming again to our country and we welcome them. However, I wonder if some of our hotels are killing the goose that laid the golden egg. I say from my experience that some of them are charging very high prices, far too high for the average Irish family who would like their two weeks' holiday every year or for the ordinary working-class people of England who come here every year on holidays. Many of them are of Irish descent and they come here regularly. Those people have a limited amount of cash and find themselves paying a large sum in hotels for bed and breakfast. The Minister should look into this because it is happening in many instances.

We have a great industry in the farm guesthouses. I am happy to say the people concerned are doing a marvellous job and provide very good food at reasonable prices. It is important that those people should be commended on the work they have done. We also have caravan parks throughout our country and people who provide this amenity should be entitled to a much bigger grant. In the past many of them were refused grants. Many young married people with young families do not like to go to hotels or even to guesthouses and they come from all parts of Ireland to Kerry to stay in caravans. It is important that we have properly laid-out caravan sites and that the money is made available.

With regard to CIE, I have noted that a train leaving Tralee town at 8 o'clock in the morning had the seats completely removed from the carriage; just the frame was left and there were beer bottles rolling around underneath the seats. This has happened in the last three weeks. Prior to this the train serving Tralee had the new type coaches but I do not know what happened to them. I know of travellers who used the train yesterday; they went to the dining car to get tea and sandwiches and when they went back to their seats they found there was no place to put the food other than on the floor. On the 8 o'clock train leaving Tralee at the moment there are very few carriages with tables. Frequently tea is spilled on the floor and that is not pleasant. I should like the Minister and his Department to instruct CIE to provide a proper train service because many tourists travel by train.

Many hotels are facing serious problems. Because it is getting late in the season, I ask the Minister to see if hoteliers would reduce their prices. Why not reduce prices and have our hotels full? If they charge full price the hotels will remain half empty. I wonder what amount of this £9 million will reach the hoteliers in 1979. Will we have to wait until 1980 to see the result of this?

Miss Harney

I welcome this Bill. Much of what the Minister is doing in this Bill is developing Irish tourism into the 1980s. It may be a little too late to help the situation for this year, as Senator Molony asked the Minister to do.

The tourist industry, which is very much a labour-intensive industry, is capable of employing 100,000 people. Our tourist industry has never been fully explored; there is great potential there. We should look ahead to the 1980s and develop a comprehensive plan for tourism over the next few years not only to attract more foreigners to our country, but to encourage more and more Irish people to stay at home for their holidays. Bord Fáilte currently operate a very extensive programme called the "Discover Ireland" programme to encourage Irish people to discover other parts of Ireland. Too few of our hotels and other general services needed to make a holiday enjoyable are involved in this operation. How many hotels in Ireland, for example, provide the facilities that families, particularly young families, require to have a happy holiday? Very few of our hotels have any baby-sitting facilities for young couples, many of whom wish to go out in the evenings but have nowhere to leave their children and nobody to look after them.

In very many of our hotels the standard of accommodation is very poor and the prices are very high; it is cheaper for a family to go to Spain, Portugal, or wherever, than to stay at home in Ireland, which is a pity. Perhaps it may be necessary, not only to encourage hoteliers to keep their prices down and to operate fixed price control here, but, in some instances, to subsidise holidays at home, for Irish people, in order that more and more of them, particularly from Dublin, can see parts of Kerry, Cork and the west coast.

People refer to the treatment often given to foreigners by Irish hotel staff and by people involved in Irish tourism. By and large, people in our hotels are kind and courteous and the hospitality that foreigners talk about is very much in evidence. However, it has come to my notice in recent weeks that some of our hoteliers are only too willing to exploit the foreigner. Maybe it is because he does not understand the language; maybe it is because he does not know the country too well. The other evening, I had a drink with some American friends of mine who had spent the past two weeks touring the west of Ireland. They told me that in one hotel in the west of Ireland they were charged 20p for a glass of water. It was an absolute disgrace that somebody would do that to people who obviously would not know if that was the general practice. Instances like this, although rare, harm the image of the country and do not help the tourist industry.

I welcome the fact that the Minister is doubling the funds being made available for the farmhouse holiday project. This is something unique to Ireland and which many foreigners enjoy. They like to spend a week on a farm; they like to have their children involved in the farm. Many Irish farmers love to have foreign tourists on their farms, in their farmhouses and helping them and looking over their farms. This is something we should consider more seriously and I am delighted that the Minister has doubled the funds available for this project.

Very many Irish people thinking of going on holidays ask a tour operator for a brochure, and always a brochure for foreign holidays. The time has come to encourage more and more Irish people by advertisements in the national press and on radio and television, by incentives like giving Irish tourists petrol vouchers for touring the country. It is very difficult for people from Dublin, or any other part of the country, to get petrol in certain parts of Ireland at the moment. It would be a great help if Irish tourists were to be given vouchers so that they, too, could get petrol here.

Very many of the regional boards and the people involved in regional tourism co-operate with local authorities in providing the facilities that can make holidays more enjoyable both for our own people and for foreigners. Dublin County Council, in conjunction with Dublin tourism, have recently opened up Malahide Castle and the surrounding land so that tourists can look over the castle, the paintings and so on, enjoy a cup of coffee and stroll around the parklands. This sort of co-operation can do nothing but improve the whole tourism industry. We are seen to be going out of our way to provide the facilities that up to now we have not provided for the tourist.

In certain parts of the country it is very difficult, particularly for young people, to find something to do in the evenings. There is plenty in the line of going to pubs to drink; there are a lot of things to do during the day in the form of going out for tours around the different scenic routes but when it comes to entertaining, providing, for example, Irish traditional music, this is not available in many parts of the country.

I was delighted to hear the Minister say that he will be making more funds available to An Oige to improve the standard of our hostels and develop them. These hostels are particularly attractive to young people who like to go around from one place to another but cannot afford an expensive holiday. It is nice to know that there is a properly developed hostel where they will be looked after. I am also pleased that the Minister mentioned the development of caravan and camping sites. Here again in the past we were very slow in providing attractive sites for the tourist, in the line of proper sewerage and water facilities. These are new areas which we could examine and explore and which would go a long way towards improving the standards of our tourist industry, and attracting more people, particularly more Irish people whose custom we badly need. If the caravan and camp sites were made more expensive and more attractive, and if tourists were guaranteed variety, in the form of entertainment, tours and so on, many more of our people would be willing to stay at home. That is something we should encourage by heavily promoting our own tourist industry in our own country.

Mr. Markey

We all welcome any Bill which will provide funds for the much harassed tourist industry. I do not wish to indulge in reiterating individual complaints about the tourist industry, in general, because other Senators have covered the points, which, I think, will be taken by the Minister. I am tempted to think that, perhaps, this Bill has been prompted by the collapse in morale through the Irish tourist industry at present. Its contents may well have been brought forward for implementation to an earlier stage than was originally envisaged. I am tempted to believe this, because only about a year ago we were entertained here to a question and answer session by the top management of Bord Fáilte. I remember asking, at that session, was it felt that the bed capacity rate in this country at that time was sufficient to meet future needs, that it took a certain amount of planning, say two or three years, to get bedrooms off the drawing board and into actual use. I was assured that it was felt within the tourist industry and within the accommodation industry itself, that the needs could well be met. Now we see a Bill coming forward which is to provide funds for additional bedroom accommodation. I am tempted to believe that the Bill and its contents have been brought forward due to the collapse of the tourist industry in 1979.

I compliment the Minister on his selectiveness in the Bill as regards what bedroom accommodation will be granted financial assistance. I see that certain hotels, particularly the larger ones, will not be included in the scheme to the extent that they might perhaps wish themselves. The word "confidence" has been mentioned in the Minister's speech, perhaps six or seven times. It reminds me of the person who is always speaking of the future and perhaps not doing as much as could be done to make sure that that confidence is met. Certain blame for this must lie with the tourist industry itself, with the hoteliers, guesthousekeepers, restaurant owners and so on. We all seem to think that the future of Irish tourism is assured and that it will meet all our wishes, but we never seem to put enough effort and investment into the tourist business to make sure that our confidence is justified. Year after year we look forward with great confidence to the future of the tourist business. Unless we do something at each stage that confidence may not be justified.

This is a Bill for the future, but it would be remiss of us not to comment on the present, as regards the tourist industry. The provision in the Bill for extra room accommodation and the improvement in recreational and educational facilities will take time to achieve. It could be anything up to two years before their effects are felt. In relation to the financial assistance to be given under this Bill when we consider how slow the local authorities work, and they will do a lot of this work, it could well take longer than two years before we feel the effects of these provisions. The Minister should stress, through the Minister for the Environment, to all local authorities entrusted with moneys to carry out certain public amenity work that these jobs should not take three or four years to be completed when they could well be completed in one year. There is something radically wrong at local authority level when jobs of this nature which can benefit the tourist industry, never mind the local community, are put off from year to year before they are brought to completion. This happens, unfortunately, in far too many local authority areas.

I compliment Bord Fáilte for the excellent literature they brought out at the beginning of this year, for the colour and variety of their brochures. It is very sad that the great effort that they put into the illustration and presentation of what we have to offer here has not met with the results desired. My sympathy goes to hoteliers, guesthouse owners and workers in the tourist business who have suffered immeasurably because of the crisis in the business this year. The problems have not been of their making. The Bord Fáilte report for 1978 makes sad reading. In speaking about 1978, which was an excellent year, the report states:

...this optimism undoubtedly received early-season set-backs from industrial disputes at home and abroad. The telecommunications difficulties, the Aer Lingus strike, the Sealink stoppage, and the difficulties caused by the Air Traffic Controllers' go-slow all were potentially damaging to the Irish tourism effort.

It was fortunate that the major problems were resolved before substantial losses and bookings or goodwill were sustained,

We cannot say that we were not given in advance a picture of what could happen as a result of any industrial disputes. My sympathy goes to the people actually involved in working in the tourist business, because of what they have suffered through no fault of theirs.

It is unfortunately a salvaging operation we must now consider at this stage of 1979. I do not agree that it is too late now to do anything. We can look at this problem even mid-way through the summer to see what can be done, and perhaps something can be contemplated. The visit of a few foreign VIPs to Ireland did more to sell this country on their native soils when their medias presented their trips to Ireland. In the promotion of Irish holidays for the rest of 1979 a visit by a few of these personalities during the next month could, due to the resultant publicity, help to recoup a lot of the money lost to date.

The gulf that now lies between the £ sterling and the punt is such that any holiday in Ireland is a wonderful bargain to UK holidaymakers. I do not know to what extent we have tried to hammer home to them that a holiday in Ireland now is the best value they are likely to get when compared with the cost of a holiday in any other part of the Continent.

In relation to home holidays over 50 per cent of overnight accommodation was filled by Irish people. I do not know how that compares with other countries but for the remainder of 1979 we should make a special promotional effort to urge Irish people to spend even part of their 1979 holiday allocation at home, to give up their holidays abroad or even to spend long weekends on holiday within our shores. The Irish people were not found wanting in that respect when they were appealed to before.

When we speak of the tourist industry we must always remember that we operate within certain dimensions and that these dimensions are largely dictated by what happens abroad and by what happens politically and economically within our shores. The national situation at a particular time can show how brittle the whole tourist industry can be. Only in recent weeks a few bombs going off in Spain threw everything into horrible confusion there in relation to what it could mean for the rest of the holiday season. We have had this situation for the past ten years and I compliment Bord Fáilte for coping wonderfully. They have been hit now by industrial disputes which are not of their making and there is little they can do about them.

The tourist business here can largely be determined by how we behave within our shores. This extends not only to the economic and political situation but also to attitudes that we have towards tourism. We have a sort of a split personality attitude towards tourism. On the one hand, we want to be efficient but on the other hand we seem to take a certain pleasure in being casual and lethargic and we feel that these are the things that tourists like to see in us. Perhaps they are, but we seem to fall between two stools. We cannot be casual and yet efficient in regard to promoting any business. We must make up our minds to tackle tourism in an efficient manner or else we will just continue messing along from year to year, and I do not contemplate that with any pleasure.

The international climate for travel is probably the most dominant feature as regards how well the Irish tourism business does. Our economy can be doing well but if our fellow European economies are not doing well we will be on the losing end to a certain extent. That is why we must always try to get the maximum from our people in relation to how they spend their holidays. If we can get them to spend their holidays at home even when our economy is doing excellently and they are tempted to go abroad their staying at home will make up for any shortfall there might be from foreign visitors.

In relation to foreign visitors to Ireland Bord Fáilte in their annual report for 1978 said that 13 per cent of our visitors came from continental Europe. This figure trebled in the last decade; yet the number of visitors from North America went up only by approximately 25 per cent during the last ten years. Something has happened to the American market. Maybe we are no longer appealing to that old ethnic association that we used to appeal to. If the volume of continental visitors coming here can treble in ten years there is no reason why American visitors, who come from one of the most powerful economies in the world, should not also increase by much more than 25 per cent over ten years. If that ethnic association no longer has the same appeal for the American market we shall have to play some other tune to entice them here. How many of our foreign visitors come back a second time? This is a true assessment of what our tourist business is capable of and how it is performing.

This Bill is a little ahead of what was envisaged, but it is welcome for all that. There is no point in crying over the difficulties that occurred in the early part of this year. Let us hope we learned something from experience. We were warned about them. Bord Fáilte's 1978 report mentioned the damage that industrial disputes can do to the tourist business. Fortunately, we were able to surmount them because the disputes finished early in the year. Let us learn from what happened.

Minister for Tourism and Transport (Mr. Faulkner)

Before I reply to the points made in the debate, I would like to emphasise again, as I did in the Dáil, that this Bill is a declaration of the Government's confidence in the tourist industry and its future. The industry has faced problem after problem over the past year but the quick and effective assistance that was granted to the industry by the State and by Bord Fáilte has resulted in the industry rallying.

With regard to Senator Molony's contribution, I am glad the tourist industry seem to have much more confidence in themselves. I rarely have an opportunity to watch television, but I recently saw a programme on BBC Northern Ireland dealing with how the facilities available in the Republic were utilised. I mention that programme because one might say that Irish interests might gild the lily, and one would not expect them to do it. They interviewed people in the west and every one of them showed that, having overcome the problems which they faced in the postal strike and to some extent in the petrol situation, they had confidence and believed there was a worthwhile future for them during the coming tourist season.

Senator Molony seemed to be asking whether prospective tourists in other countries were notified about the postal strike. There is rarely need to inform people of bad news. They were very well aware of it. My confidence in the tourist industry was strengthened by the overwhelming interest shown in Ireland during my recent promotional visits in Britain, Germany and the Netherlands. There is a very strong likelihood that the number of tourists coming from Germany and the Netherlands will improve on what were record figures in 1978. I accept that it is going to be tougher in Britain but Bord Fáilte are engaged in an all-out effort in the British, Northern Ireland and the home markets. There is every reason to hope that we may yet attain overall equality with the record 1978 figures. I do not see any grounds for pessimism, and certainly no grounds for constantly speaking of disaster in relation to the tourist season. With the peak period only now beginning, there is a profound need for an attitude which will inspire the industry in their efforts to seek a turnabout on the problems of May and June.

Reference was made also to the fact that this Bill relates to the future; so it does. What we are referring to in respect of the future are capital moneys. That does not mean exceptional efforts have not been made to promote tourism this year, particularly since the postal strike ended. In the past few weeks Bord Fáilte have spent or committed £330,000 over and above their budgeted figures in the United Kingdom alone in getting the message across to the public that we are still very much open to business. They have also launched a home holiday campaign in the Northern Ireland market. The board have been allocated a budget of over £12 million, which is no mean sum, to cover their general non-capital activities, including promotion and marketing. The question of increasing the amount would not call for legislation, and there is no question of present promotional efforts being inhibited in any way by an inadequacy of funds. From what I said it is clear that a very considerable amount of money is being spent on promotion.

References were made to the petrol voucher scheme for tourists. The introduction of this unique arrangement is an indication of the high priority which the Government attach to tourism. It is a pity there has been a disposition to make damaging remarks about the scheme which are bound to be picked up and publicised abroad. I emphasised that in the Dáil and I want to emphasise it here also. The complaints I heard about the scheme related mainly to the very first days of its operation. These difficulties have been substantially overcome. Until the recent petrol problems many tourists who had vouchers did not need to use them. There have been many instances of tourists returning from their holidays and handing back the vouchers. We do not hear anything about that; but if there is a single case in which something unfortunately goes wrong, it is turned into a major issue. The response of the tourists to this scheme has been exceptionally good. We got very worthwhile word of mouth publicity because of it. Many returning visitors were asked at the ferries how they managed for petrol and we got no complaints from anybody in respect of the voucher scheme. Possibly in some areas tourists may have been turned away from filling stations where the owners said they were not designated to supply the petrol. I deprecate this practice. I should have expected that filling stations throughout the country have as big a stake in caring for tourists as those who either have shops or provide accommodation. Tourists are normal customers — that is how they would be described in ordinary times.

I would like to congratulate private individuals and local bodies who got together to ensure that tourists get supplies, and I urge others to follow their example. There are vouchers available at 17 centres — the main regional tourism offices throughout the country. There are 200 garages designated to make fuel available and in general they are open on every weekday and part of Saturday. They may not be open all the time, but we found that when the tourist goes to the local office and makes inquiries that the garage proprietor makes petrol available.

When I found there were very considerable queues outside garages because of the recent problem I made inquiries locally and the girl in charge of the Bord Fáilte office told me there were still two garages in that area willing to provide petrol. In those circumstances I repeat that visitors coming to this country need not worry in respect of the provision of petrol. The situation has been improving in recent times.

I went abroad myself to help out in the promotion of tourism and basically to explain to prospective visitors that the postal strike was over and that petrol is again available. Unfortunately, we have had further difficulties here and I would hope that they would be overcome relatively quickly. I must compliment Bord Fáilte on their activity over this entire period. They very vigorously tackled the problems arising from the postal dispute. They employed all their normal resources in communications, service and publicity to assist the industry at home and to maintain contact with the market abroad. They had very considerable success in their efforts, particularly in relation to block bookings and larger units in the accommodation sectors and in the STD areas generally. I will accept, and I very keenly appreciate, that in some sectors particularly in the non-STD areas, serious problems were encountered and only limited help could be provided. I am aware, though, in some such cases, that hotel and guesthouse proprietors by very commendable self-help managed to maintain their market contacts and they are now reaping the benefit in good bookings.

I might also tell Senator Molony that on the Continent the bulk of the bookings are through the trade and the trade were kept fully informed by Bord Fáilte as to what conditions were like here. I expect the traffic from the Continent to increase on what we had last year. Senator Brugha referred to the Bord Fáilte inspection system. The fact is that Bord Fáilte have an inspection system and they grade hotels and if the level of service comes into question the grading is examined. They have a task force on standards. This was launched by An Bord Fáilte to draw attention to the ever constant need to look to standards in all aspects of the industry. There are full-time Bord Fáilte staff involved in this drive for maintaining and improving standards. During 1978, 24 seminars were held on hygiene and consumer relations and 18 are planned for this year. Advice and assistance are also tendered and in 1978 there were 12 self-help projects; the number this year is expected to rise to 78.

Ruarí Brugha

I think it is the rate of inspection that is the important thing.

Mr. Faulkner

I will refer the matter to Bord Fáilte on that aspect. Senator Blennerhassett referred to the need for hotels to keep their prices as low as possible. I agree with him there. On the other hand, he is aware that there is quite a variety of accommodation to suit all purses. You have the hotels, guesthouses, town and country homes and farmhouses and bed and breakfast premises. As regards the suggestion that the hotels should reduce their rates, that is a business question and it is really a matter for themselves. I would like, naturally, to see costs kept as low as possible so as to encourage as many people as possible to come to the country, but nevertheless it is a matter of economics and I would not like to interfere in that particular aspect of the business.

Senator Harney referred to the need to encourage more Irish people to remain at home. As I said, there is a very strong promotional effort being made by An Bord Fáilte to keep our people at home. While it may be true that brochures for foreign holidays are handed out at the regional offices, perhaps they were asked for, but there is no question about the fact that they have brochures for home holidays and I am sure that these are made available on request. Perhaps I may suggest to Bord Fáilte that they would be made available in every case, whether requested or not. In so far as traditional music is concerned as a help towards tourism, I think that that is a worthwhile suggestion and not only that, but I think that it is something which is developing in the country at present. I find that in the small town in which I live a group of people have come together over the past three or four years and they provide traditional music and it is very well accepted not just by tourists but by the local people as well.

I would just say to Senator Markey that tourism has not collapsed and is very far from collapsing. This is the first time in ten years that we have had a grant scheme for new accommodation. It shows the confidence that we have as a Government in the future of our tourism business. Regarding the suggestion he made about the VIPs, certainly it would be a very good idea if we could get the VIPs to come. I suppose he is referring to the visit of the Queen of Holland which was of value to us.

Mr. Markey

There was quite a number. We have built up a certain amount of goodwill with these people and I think something could be done.

Mr. Faulkner

Yes, I fully accept that, but apart from that, Bord Fáilte have had on many occasions groups of journalists, people promoting tourism and so on over here and brought them around the country and showed them what was available, with very worthwhile effect when they went back. While this Bill relates specifically to the provision of rooms and so on, which is something for, I would hope, the relatively near future, that does not mean at all that we are not making special efforts to promote tourism. In fact we are making exceptional efforts, as I have pointed out, to ensure that the tourist industry will again be on the upward trend which we experienced over the last couple of years. We were not at a standstill. The numbers coming to this country from abroad were increasing each year and in fact last year we reached a peak which was the highest ever; the previous highest was in 1969. There was a downward trend in the numbers coming to Ireland from 1969 onwards for a variety of reasons but we had again reached a situation in 1978 where we had more people visiting the country than ever before.

I am satisfied that the overall, long term tourism prospects are good. I think that the industry shares this view despite the fact that we had a temporary adversity this year. While we have not been neglecting to promote tourism this year and, as I say, vigorous efforts have been put into promotion in which I myself took part, while not neglecting that we have nevertheless to plan for expansion; we cannot wait until the demand outpaces the available supply. The present Bill by increasing the statutory limits will ensure that money can be made available to Bord Fáilte to stimulate growth in the accommodation sector and the ancillary amenities to cater for our tourists and I am glad to be in a position to commend it to the House.

Mr. Molony

I made a number of points to which the Minister did not advert in his reply and I am concerned about two specific ones. I spoke at some length about the problems on Lough Derg at the moment. One matter I would like the Minister to look at is the difficulties people are experiencing getting fuel for boats as they go up the lake. I do not expect the Minister to reply to that now but I would ask him to see what he can do to relieve the situation. My other point was in relation to the operation of the petrol voucher scheme for tourists coming here via the North of Ireland on the Stranraer-Larne ferry. That is not operating satisfactorily.

Agreed to take remaining Stages today.

Bill put through Committee, reported without recommendation, received for final consideration and ordered to be returned to the Dáil.

Seanad Éireann debate - Thursday, 19 Jul 1979