Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The last point the Deputy makes is very relevant. The Government is very conscious of the role that Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland play, and to that end I have, since coming into the Department, used every opportunity to find out formally and informally from Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland what are the challenges ahead. The Deputy has pointed out a number of challenges and he has a very clear knowledge of the issue from his constituency and the broader Leinster region. There are challenges in the industry, but this was one of the two industries, the other being agriculture, that helped to drag the country out of the economic mire in which we found ourselves. The Government therefore values the tourism industry. We are very eager to work with all of the stakeholders, driven by the State agencies and underpinned by the policy on which the Department and its officials rely. The Minister, Deputy Ross, and I are very conscious of this. That is why we have been very clear from the start, since we came into the Department, that this is an industry that we want to see continuing to develop and to supply real jobs in constituencies like Kildare North.

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