James Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

No, it is not fair. I am very glad that the Chairman has brought this discussion back to the issue of rates and, indeed, other costs. One of the questions I have concerns the manner in which the industry is assessed and whether there is a form of discount. For many hotels outside of Dublin and the bigger urban conurbations, the tourist season de facto stops in October and kicks off again in April. Many hotels and guest houses shut for this period because it is just not viable to run the business during these months. Many take the opportunity to revamp or bring in whatever changes need to be made.

Staff are employed on contracts reflecting that reality and they know it. Do businesses in this situation get any form of discount for this or is the rentable valuation taken as an average of six months over the 12?