Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I am glad to see that tourism figures are up this year, for the first time since 2008. I take this opportunity to compliment everyone involved in tourism, particularly the agencies, Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland.

This year, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and I decided we would hit the four main tourism markets. The Minister gave me the opportunity to go to America and France. Both these markets have done very well for us. The Minister went to Britain and Germany. This year has been good, overall. We must build on it next year.

I am delighted that we are to get funding for the Gathering. I will ask Deputies and everyone in the country to play their part in the Gathering. This will be a very important event. We will contact the diaspora all over the world and get everyone involved, whether tidy towns committees, sporting and cultural organisations or any other group. Any group in Ireland that has a sister or brother organisation in any part of the world will be asked to make contact with them and get them to Ireland for 2013.

Tourism has been good this year. I thank all the Irish people who made a conscious decision to holiday at home this year. I compliment them. Two thirds of bed nights in Ireland are filled by Irish people. The domestic market is very important. Irish people responded to the call to spend their holidays at home. We have never had a better tourism product. People can go to any part of Ireland and enjoy themselves. Costs have never been so low. Hotel beds have never been so cheap. This has been proven by statistics. It is important that we promote Irish tourism.

I ask the media to give the Irish tourism product, particularly the Gathering, positive publicity. I ask media people to do this for the sake of the country. I do not ask them to do it for the Government, but for the country. We must try to get people into the country to spend money, and to come back because they have had a good holiday.

The Government made a conscious decision to reduce VAT from 13.5% to 9%. I compliment the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport who fought very hard for that measure at Cabinet. I compliment the restaurants and hotels who passed on the saving.

The extension of UK visas to include Ireland is one of the greatest things to happen since the creation of the single market. It will give us an opportunity to touch the Asian market. In recent years people, particularly from Asia, have found it difficult to get into Ireland. The new arrangement will be in place on a trial basis for the 2012 Olympic Games. I hope it will work and that we can build on it and touch the Asian market, which is a massive market. If we could get a share of that market, it would be good for the country.

I would like to touch on the issue of sport, which is so important for this country. Sport has lifted the morale of people over the past while, particularly since the recession. I compliment the Irish soccer team on qualifying for the European championships. I compliment the Irish golfers who have done so well all over the world. With regard to rugby, I thank the Irish team for the joy and pleasure they gave us in the recent World Cup tournament. Not alone do I compliment these sports people, I compliment all the sports men and women in the country who have brought joy to us. They lift morale on many occasions.

The Department sees sport as important and this is something I keep emphasising. When I made the case for funding to the Department of Finance this year, we did not do too badly, although there have been small cutbacks to the Irish Sports Council which distributes the funding it receives from the Department to national organisations. Sport is very important. If we had more people taking part in sport, we would need fewer hospitals, doctors and consultants. What we as a society need to do is to try to get more people involved in sport. I am glad to say the sports capital programme will open again in the new year for the first time since 2008. It will target disadvantaged areas and smaller sporting organisations in particular and we will give everybody the opportunity to apply for funding. We will not be able to facilitate every application, but we will at least give people the opportunity to put their case and will try to select the best ones possible. Deputy Calleary knows how important sport is and we looked after his area. He talked about the swimming pool in Ballina for many years and I am delighted to say we were able to refurbish it this year. What we have done with regard to smarter travel and the opening up of new walks is also important for the country and I compliment everybody involved in this and in the sport area.

Nothing would happen in Ireland without our volunteers and this is the European year of the volunteer. If we did not have volunteers, there would be very little sport taking place here, we would not have a Tidy Towns competition and we would be without many other activities. On behalf of the Government, I thank all the volunteers in the country who make such a contribution to society and sport. They give of their time and I thank them.

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