Eamonn Maloney (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I wish to be associated with the opening remarks by the Chairman and other members in welcoming the Minister to his first committee meeting.

I share the view of others who referred to Dublin Bus, among other things.

I refer in particular to the improvements made by management, and particularly staff, in Dublin Bus which transformed the company. It provides a very good service, which I use five days a week. Also, I was delighted to hear the Minister's remarks on the subsidy for next year, which is welcome.

I have two questions, one of which the Minister alluded to, as did the Minister for Finance in yesterday's budget announcement, namely, the issue of the 9% tourism VAT rate. In principle I am in favour of that but all of us would agree that this summer for different reasons, including the weather factor, was probably one of the longest summers in history. Hotels in cities and outside the cities have done very well. There is no dispute about that, although hotel owners will always argue otherwise. However, the hotel industry should not take us, as legislators, for granted in terms of preserving the 9% rate unless there is a return for customers, something to which the Minister referred. Constituents have told me of their experiences holidaying in Ireland and in Northern Ireland, and have made comparisons, some of which were striking in terms of value. The hotel industry should not take it for granted that every time we come in here to debate a budget they will get away with that.

The second point in this connection, which I accept does not come into the Minister's domain, concerns wage levels in the industry. Many jobs have been created but there are questions to be answered about the wage levels in some hotels and, unfortunately, not all hotel workers are unionised. I am saying to the Minister that those in the industry should not take it for granted that he will approve the request from those in the industry for a retention of the 9% rate every year.

On the road safety factor about which all of us are concerned, I heard what I presume was a Road Safety Authority advertisement this morning and one aspect struck me, which Deputy Ellis mentioned also. It referred to 140 people involved in drunk driving in the past month. The Minister has the power to do what no other Minister previously had the courage to do. Can he take the decision to ban for life drivers who have been convicted of taking alcohol, the national drug, or other illegal drugs while driving? That would bring about the biggest sea-change in terms of road safety.