Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the delegates for their presentations. The tourism industry has certainly come a long way and the reduction in VAT has made a huge difference in that regard.

I have a few questions, one of which is about the impact on capacity of the use of hotels and guesthouses for homelessness services. The hotels enter into contracts with the local authorities. I have seen figures in this regard. Is the practice having a big impact on the number of places available on any given weekend?

A problem I have encountered in the hotel industry concerns the use of agencies. This has affected many people involved in the hotel industry who originally delivered a very personal service. We now use agencies and this has driven down wages in the industry. Will the delegates give an opinion on this?

As stated, there is great scope for growth. The Asian market is probably the biggest we need to consider. I include China which has the biggest population in the world. What is the industry doing to entice Asians to come here? This is important.

I have always been opposed to the raising of prices when there is an event taking place. The delegates referred to this. People exploit events to raise prices. On one occasion when I was at the Galway races, I found trying to find accommodation offputting. I spoke to tourists and noted they had experienced the same thing. What I describe occurs elsewhere in Europe and in every country, but I find it offputting. Does the industry have guidelines for how hotels should carry on in this regard?

With regard to local authorities and valuation rates, I am surprised by the prices mentioned. I did not envisage that one would have to pay €3,000, which seems exorbitant. The local authorities have tried to reduce the rates, but not by very much. Certainly, trying to reduce them has been a policy in the past couple of years. I am surprised, however, at the amount of money referred to. I did not believe it was anywhere near that figure.

With regard to the alcohol industry in general, I have always been a great believer in trying to entice more people to go to local pubs. We need initiatives in this regard, taken either by the Government or the industry. The differences in prices in off-licences and pubs have become ridiculous. In an off-licence bargains are available left, right and centre, but one can rarely go into a pub and get one. To me, the pubs were the lifeblood of most communities. Many pubs sponsored local teams, for example. I often find it a little hard to accept the argument about sponsorship because the pubs in my area sponsor local teams and advertise on their jerseys. They do not advocate excessive drinking. What is happening has always happened throughout rural areas and communities.

During the years many people have visited the Guinness centre and such facilities. It is an industry in itself. Is there any scope to build on this further?