Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)

I support the amendment put down by my colleagues Deputies Hogan and Mitchell on this issue. The points have been articulated well by my colleagues, and there is an opportunity to ensure we deal with a sector of the industry that is on its knees. I have correspondence from a constituent who has said bookings are down between 50% and 60% this year alone, and it is mainly families which avail of self-catering accommodation around the country.

The industry has been allocated a great deal of resources by the State, especially Leader funding, in recent years. Many people around the country got their facilities registered with Fáilte Ireland in order to draw down grants from Leader, with facilities brought up to a very high standard for Fáilte Ireland approval. In recent years, as part of the rural development process, the State has encouraged the development of these facilities around the country but we are now putting an additional tax on top of rates, water charges and the Fáilte Ireland registration fees.

There is a concern that this will be only the first step and the €200 charge will be increased in future. The reality is that in many parts of the country, self-catering accommodation is the backbone of the tourism offering. It is a substantial part of tourism in my own constituency in Roscommon and south Leitrim, and this is also the case in other parts of the country. I urge the Minister to accept the amendment, as it would not have a major financial implication on what the Government is trying to do but it would send a clear message that we want to support the development of our tourism industry. This is important from the point of view of the taxpayer and the European Union because of the large capital investment in the sector in recent years. It is vital that we support the industry, rather than imposing additional taxes, now that it is under financial pressure.

See this speech in context