Mr. Paul Kelly:

I will make a couple of points quickly. We have spoken about the core issue, which is the supply of tourism accommodation, particularly in Dublin. This is not just a Dublin problem because Dublin is the gateway for Ireland. If people cannot get the night in Dublin, we would lose the night in Kerry, Louth or Cavan. We would lose nights all around the country. The core long-term solution is supply coming to the market. I am not going to ask for a pro-business policy but rather a pro-development policy. Legislation and controls have been mentioned at this meeting. My real concern is that this would make the problem worse because it would slow and constrain the amount of supply coming in.

It was only in 2016 or thereabouts that it became profitable to build a hotel room in Dublin again. We had no development from the financial crash and this is still a hangover from then. We had no new stock being developed while tourism globally and in Ireland was growing exceptionally well, with all the other requirements for short-term accommodation.

Whatever actions or policies the committee or the Government considers, it is really important we facilitate supply. Unfortunately, there have been some voices against the development of hotels in Dublin but it is so important to the national tourism economy that we have a pro-development policy to allow more supply and stock. The core issue with Dublin arises with those nights spoken about by Ms Campbell, where hotels are at 92% or 94% capacity. That happens too often in Dublin. It only takes a concert or a match to push it to that position. The solution is more stock in hotels.

That is the long-term solution. In terms of any policies the Government is looking at, I would suggest it makes sure to encourage more stock to come on stream as opposed to putting off investors.