Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The amount spent on tourism services is relatively small given the number of people employed in and the income coming from that sector. There is a very significant amount foregone from value-added tax. It is projected to be €626 million in 2016. That would not necessarily have found its way into the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, but is a risk analysis being done about Brexit, currency fluctuations and such? Is an evaluation being done about whether a different approach might need to be taken, requiring a different funding mechanism?

The €626 million foregone is not exclusively from restaurants and hotels. It is from hairdressers and magazines and a range of different things. Is there a way of disaggregating those into things that are very much tourism related and those that are peripheral to tourism?