Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick East, Fine Gael)

I hope they will make it back before the end of the debate.

The problem is that there should be a junior Minister with specific responsibility for this area. Neither of the two Ministers of State here tonight has specific responsibility for the travel tax.

I call on the Government to consider the damage it is doing, see the error of its ways and reverse this tax. We have a new Minister from the mid-west in the shape of Deputy Tony Killeen, who is now the Minister for Defence. Like my colleague Deputy Breen, I ask that the new Minister exert his influence at the Cabinet table and ensure the reversal of this tax. Deputy Killeen has a history of supporting Shannon Airport. Now, not only does he have influence as a Deputy, he is also at the Cabinet table. I ask him to ensure this tax is reversed because it is having a detrimental effect in terms of the number of passengers coming in.

There is the issue of the tourism industry in Limerick, where there are many hotels and guesthouses. In addition, the Government will not extend the car scrappage scheme to include short-term hire vehicles. I ask that reason prevail. The Government should consider the example of countries such as the Netherlands, which reversed a similar tax. We must ensure there are no more job losses. Ryanair has stated emphatically that the reason it is cancelling some of its routes is the travel tax. If the Minister for Finance will reverse this tax, we should see Ryanair flights continuing from Shannon. Fifteen routes are due to be discontinued in the next two weeks.

This is an important motion for the mid-west and Limerick. I call on the Minister for Finance to reverse this tax with immediate effect and allow the tourism industry in Limerick and the mid-west to flourish.

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