Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)

I agree with the idea of centralising, for want of a better description, the different regions. However, I cannot understand how Ireland east can include Dublin with the other counties. From a marketing perspective, if an overseas visitor receives a listing in regard to Dublin, the midlands, the east and counties Cavan and Monaghan, that visitor will focus on Dublin. We will not break down the barriers that have existed for the short-term visitor who believes Dublin is the place to visit, and counties such as Kildare and Wicklow will lose out given the proposed format.

I cannot believe that Dublin was not given a separate identity to the east region. If that were the case, we would have a level playing pitch for the east region. The midlands is suffering at present. Visitors know of the south and the west and simply travel through the midlands. Particular efforts to draw in visitors have been made in Kildare with regard to race meetings at Naas, the Curragh, the Punchestown festival and elsewhere. I agree with the new initiative because it reduces the number of tourism areas from eight but I cannot understand the logic of including Dublin with the rest of the eastern region. Dublin will be the central focus, which will reduce the impact of other areas in Leinster and counties Cavan and Monaghan in Ulster. Dublin should have been removed and an Ireland east region should have been created, separate from Dublin, to accompany Ireland west and Ireland south.

The current proposal will do nothing for the other counties in the eastern region. Given that only €1 million is to be provided and given the impetus of the Dublin area with regard to tourism, little funding will be left for the other areas, which include all of Leinster and Cavan and Monaghan. It does not seem logical to break down that amount of funding over such a large area. The focus of tourism seems to be on Dublin and the south and west. The midlands and the east coast counties of Wexford, Wicklow, Meath and Louth suffer accordingly.

The Minister said that the initiative is only a marketing concept and that the input of his Department is to provide funding to Fáilte Ireland. Does he not agree that the structure will do nothing to improve the focus on attracting tourists to the midlands, east coast and counties Cavan and Monaghan? Given the wide area involved, Dublin attracts most of the tourists at present. It has been said repeatedly in the House that we have not been able to draw tourists away from Dublin to the regions, which is why bed and breakfast accommodation providers are suffering. However, we are now placing them first in this regard. We put Dublin, the midlands, the east and Cavan and Monaghan after them. We did not even put them last, which might have given some context to the other areas. Can anything be done in this regard? Does the Minister agree Dublin should have been taken out of the super regions, leaving the other three regions to be funded accordingly?

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