Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to say a few words about this small technical Bill, which we are happy to support, before it is passed by the House. As the Minister of State said during the good debate we had on Committee Stage, this legislation provides for a cumulative increase from €150 million to €300 million in the capital funding that can be provided to Fáilte Ireland. I would like to reiterate the importance to our economy of the tourism sector, which grew by 13% in 2015. More than 8 million tourists visited the country in that year. If we are to ensure we continue to attract tourists to this country, it is very important that we stay competitive, maintain a high quality of service and keep our prices reasonable.

In that regard, I want to take this opportunity to question the wisdom of the decision announced in budget 2017 to cut capital funding by 4%. It is incredible that such a regressive move is being made at a time when the tourism sector is facing serious challenges. I refer, for example, to the result of the Brexit referendum and the resultant devaluation of sterling. In 2015, some 41% of our overseas visitors came from Northern Ireland and the UK. I think this regressive step needs to be revisited. As I said when we considered this Bill on Committee Stage, there is no point in increasing the threshold if we are not going to exceed the amount of money we have invested in Fáilte Ireland over recent years. I asked a number of questions at that time and the Minister of State said he would revert to me on Committee Stage. I will repeat some of them today. Perhaps the Minister of State will come back to me with answers at a later stage.

I will repeat the questions I asked about a critical area. The establishment of a new lakelands brand is intended to complement, rather than detract from, the existing brands of Ireland's Ancient East and the Wild Atlantic Way. I am sure the Minister of State, Deputy Corcoran Kennedy, is eagerly awaiting the establishment of the lakelands brand, just as I am as a representative of the constituency of Longford-Westmeath. It was a key commitment in the programme for Government that this would happen.

The most recent tender that was put out precluded areas like Longford, Westmeath, Offaly and Tipperary from being included in the lakelands brand because they are already included in Ireland's Ancient East. We had a good discussion on this matter on Committee Stage. I am not trying to trip the Minister of State up. I just want to know the current position regarding the establishment of the lakelands brand. Is that going to be done any time soon? Can we have confidence? Will the Minister of State confirm to the House that the middle corridor of this country, as he referred to the area from the tip of Donegal to the butt of Cork that is not covered by Ireland's Ancient East or the Wild Atlantic Way, will be included in this new brand?

This Bill increases the cap that applies to Fáilte Ireland so that additional funding can be allocated to it. The Minister of State referred on Committee Stage to the process of opening for new applications for large capital projects. That is to be welcomed. The Minister of State said during the same debate that decisions would be made at arm's length from the Minister.

Do we have any indication of when those decisions will be made? When can the groups that have made huge efforts to draw up comprehensive proposals expect to know what the decision is? Similarly, will the Minister of State tell us when we can expect applications to open under the smaller capital programme? We are delighted to support this technical Bill, which relates to a very important industry. We believe more needs to be done to support the industry because it is facing very challenging times, particularly in the context of Brexit, as I have mentioned. We are very reliant on visitors from the UK and Northern Ireland. I suppose that is something we can come back to at a later date.

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