Wednesday, 5 Apr 2017

Written Answers Nos. 324-328

Departmental Agencies

Ceisteanna (324)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

324. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of private investigation firms hired by statutory agencies and or semi-State bodies under the aegis of his Department in the past five years to date in 2017; the names of the firms; the amount they were paid; if they supplied his Department with a report on completion of their work; if he will provide copies of reports submitted to him from these firms as a result of his engagement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16992/17]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport

The information requested by the Deputy is a matter for agencies themselves. Your query will be forwarded to the agencies under my Department's remit for direct response to you. If you do not get a reply within 10 working days please contact my private office.

The referred replies under Standing Order 42A were forwarded to the Deputy.

Departmental Information

Ceisteanna (325, 326)

Joan Burton

Ceist:

325. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if there is a senior official with designated responsibility for Brexit matters in his Department; if so, the grade of the designated official; the funding allocated to the said Brexit unit; the cost to date; the anticipated cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17010/17]

Joan Burton

Ceist:

326. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of staff deployed full time in his Department in respect of Brexit; if there is a designated section or unit to deal with Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17026/17]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport

I propose to take Questions Nos. 325 and 326 together.

Brexit has the potential to have serious adverse economic transport and tourism impacts and as a result has been identified as the main strategic risk facing the Department. The Department in response has organised itself internally and while all relevant areas of the Department are actively engaged in Brexit related work and consultation with stakeholders, overall responsibility for the preparation and coordination of its response to Brexit has been assigned to the Head of Function of its EU Coordination Unit.

Brexit issues relating to Tourism are managed by the Head of Function of the Tourism Marketing Policy and Impact Assessment Division.

Both Heads of Function are Principal Officers.  The support teams who deal with Brexit issues in addition to other duties are 3 staff in EU Coordination Unit and 3 staff on the tourism side.

The Management Board has, and will continue, to keep under review the Department's internal organisation and structures for Brexit to ensure that they remain robust in addressing the evolving Brexit situation. The need for additional funding for Brexit related matters is also under review.

Tourism Industry

Ceisteanna (327)

Noel Rock

Ceist:

327. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if additional resources are being devoted to encourage tourism in order to counteract the drop in tourism from the UK; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17048/17]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport

In common with the rest of Government there has been deep analysis of the challenges which industry and the commercial sectors, including the tourism industry, faces because of the outcome of the UK Referendum. Even prior to the referendum result, there was a commitment in the Government's Tourism Policy Statement "People, Place and Policy – Growing Tourism to 2025"  to prioritising tourism marketing efforts towards those markets providing higher revenue returns.  The Programme for Government commits to implementing the policy objectives in the policy statement and achieving the targets for Irish tourism contained therein.  The triggering of Article 50 does not change this. A key element of Tourism Ireland's strategy since 2014 has been market diversification.  In 2017, Tourism Ireland will continue to implement its market diversification strategy and intends to maximise holiday revenue through investment in Mainland Europe and North America. In addition the depreciation of sterling against the euro since the UK referendum means that value for money will be a key message for Tourism Ireland in Britain this year.  Looking to the medium term, Tourism Ireland's plan for the period from 2017-2019 includes the agency's response to marketing Ireland in a more focused manner in Great Britain to ensure maximum value for marketing spend. Many factors will influence the impact Brexit has on Ireland’s tourism performance in overseas markets, much of which is outside of our control.  However, restoring Ireland’s share of voice in the overseas market is within our control and the Tourism Action Plan 2016 -2018 commits to restoring overseas tourism marketing funds to pre-recession levels on a phased basis.

State Airports

Ceisteanna (328)

Noel Rock

Ceist:

328. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the cause of the downgrading of Shannon Airport; the economic impacts for the region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17050/17]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport

Shannon Airport Authority (SAA), a subsidiary of Shannon Group plc, has statutory responsibility for the management and operation of Shannon Airport and as such the issue raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for the company.  That said, SAA is conscious of the need to control its costs so that it can remain competitive and continue to attract new airline business in an increasingly competitive international marketplace. In this regard, one of the proposals that the company has had initial discussions with staff and union representatives is to operate at Category 9 on a flexible basis rather than operate permanently at that level, 24/7, all year 'round. This would contribute to a more efficient operating model at the airport without any material impact on flight operations. I understand that this arrangement will arise in any event, at nightimes, for a temporary period of about 26 weeks as a consequence of the resurfacing of the main runway at Shannon which is due to get underway on 25th April next.

I have forwarded the Question to SAA for direct reply. If the Deputy does not receive a reply within ten working days, please advise my Private Office.

The referred reply under Standing Order 42A was forwarded to the Deputy.