John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)

I greatly welcome the Government's decision to reduce the travel tax for international flights to €3. While there is no hard evidence to show this measure will result in an increase in the number of visitors to the country, there is, nevertheless, a perception that this is the case. The air travel tax, allied to airport charges, has been advocated by the chief executive of Ryanair as one of the principal reasons we are unable to attract the number of visitors we should attract. It is also cited as a reason Mr. O'Leary and his company should abandon PSOs. The proof of the pudding is in the eating and it is now a matter for Mr. O'Leary, Ryanair and other low charge airlines to establish the fruit of their words by increasing the number of visitors coming to Ireland in response to these changes.

I was interested in Deputy Ó Caoláin's intervention. The old Sinn Féin philosophy of "only our rivers run free" has been extended to having our petrol and diesel and even our drink run free.

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