Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Would the Minister agree to carry out an assessment and share it with us? I am conscious from my experience of the tourism industry that it is very price sensitive. We have a number of sensitivities that are particularly acute at the moment. One is the likely impact of Brexit, the immediate significance of which, as the Minister knows, relates to currency fluctuations. We are talking about the Wild Atlantic Way, which has been significantly successful in ensuring that, while there is a vast amount of tourism in Dublin, a very significant amount of tourism goes outside of Dublin, and it is to be hoped it is high-value tourism. Many of our tourism plans are posited around that. It is especially significant for counties from Donegal down to Kerry and beyond. There have not been large numbers of jobs coming to these areas. Along with the change in the VAT rate, which may well be and will have to be absorbed by much of the industry, we are talking potentially about two big changes.

I agree with the Minister that fleets are also an issue in this, but the primary and immediate knock-on effect is on the fly drive tourism business, into which Cork, Shannon and Knock airports and smaller airports such as in Kerry and Donegal are all tied. I would like to see some level of assessment of how this would be phased in in a way that would not be negatively disruptive.

For instance, there is a big development in Longford, Center Parcs, which will not come on stream for some time. However, given the way it is going about its marketing, it is obviously intended for people who will drive a car and, if it gets the custom it anticipates, it may include people who have hired cars. In that case, people are not supposed to use a car after getting there but, of course, they have to get there in the first place. I suggest the Minister has an analysis done and that he shares that analysis with us.