Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)

The reason we did not have a problem this summer was the fall off in the number of tourists. I am aware of people who were coming to Ireland and who telephoned ahead to see if cars were available. I do not exaggerate but they were told cars were not available when they needed them, whether mid-week for a few days. That is the reason they did not come to Ireland. As the Minister knows, the whole nature of tourism has changed. People come here for shorter periods, perhaps for three or four days mid-week. The demand that existed was, in some way, disguised by the overall view of the industry last year. It is more complicated than that. Given the fall off in tourist numbers this year, it may not have manifested itself as clearly. We want a vibrant tourism industry going forward and we need car hire availability similar to that in France, Italy, Spain and elsewhere.

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