Mr. Tim Fenn:

As mentioned earlier by Mr. Keeley and Mr. Ó Lionain, the local destination experience development plans are a key part of developing the product right across the country. There has been wonderful engagement with local authorities and Údarás na Gaeltachta, and this is a key part of it. We see the industry and the stakeholders doing great work to engage in the strategies at a local level. One cannot impose national ideas on what might not be relevant to a local area. However, once the businesses get engaged and once there is some local unused or underused asset that can be developed, that is a really important part of where we are. We can have long-term or short-term views on all of this. While there are some challenges at the moment regarding accommodation capacity we have to take the longer-term view. These assets will be there for the local people, as well as the potential visitors who are going to come there. Once the attraction is there, the entrepreneurs will then look to provide accommodation capacity.

On the subject of VAT, why is it that some of these counties and towns that are struggling to figure out ways to develop their tourism product with all the assets and capital investment that entails, are being asked to pay the third highest VAT rate in Europe? Nobody is answering that question. That is what we would like to see the Government figuring out for us