Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I am considering a number of different issues. In the first instance, groups within the tourism industry have been telling me that a subsidy is required while other groups demur. On the other hand, I am not completely sure that the business model which has been used for a number of years by car companies remains appropriate.

We must ensure we have availability this year. Unfortunately, the possible dip in the number of tourists that we have seen in the last months would lead to a lower demand.

I have spoken to some of the car hire and motor import companies to see how we can address this issue. There is no easy answer but I have been in discussions with the Minister for Finance to see what we can do. There is an issue with automatic cars because American tourists will not drive anything else. We are keeping a close eye on the numbers.

A subsidy was considered under an economist's report which I considered to be the easy answer. I have put to the industry the idea of importing from the North or using relatively new second-hand cars, although there are issues there related to warranties and maintenance. Cars now, however, are more likely to last for many years. There are other options but we have engaged fully with both the tourism industry and the car hire industry to see what can be done.

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