Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

Even in the best of days there was not enough business to fill those hotels, so the Minister is not going to do it now in the middle of a world recession. We must do something, however, to save the hotels that are still there. A lot of personal and State money has been invested in that infrastructure around the country. If we wait for NAMA to sort it out, half the hotels will have closed down. It is not just a personal issue for hotel owners, but also a national issue in terms of tourism. There is no point in trying to market Ireland abroad if we find that half the hotels are closing down here, or just opening some bedrooms. It is doing damage to the infrastructure network we built up around the country. What is the Minister going to do? He tells me he will create demand, but that will not do it. These are non-commercial practices and we must deal with them.

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