Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the speakers who made a contribution. I very much value the feedback of the Deputies who have spoken and the contributions made. I will try to follow up on all the points made and ascertain, with the various agencies and individuals concerned, whether we can achieve progress.

Specifically on Deputy Troy’s comments, it is very sensible that we try to ensure, in the case of Rosslare, that there is a synching between trains and ferries. I should be clear that word is "synching" and not "sinking" - that is perhaps a poor choice of word when I am talking about Rosslare. We should synchronise trains and ferries. That is common sense and should be the case, where possible, across the entire public transport network, whether airports or seaports. I imagine that is the first time the words "synching" or "sinking" have been used about a seaport in this Chamber.

The fact that we have a fund for greenways is very important and there is no question but that it is over-subscribed. That is a good sign. It is great that local authorities are enthusiastic and trying to develop greenways throughout the country. I assure the House that I am already working on trying to get more capital funding in budget 2020. We have done quite well in achieving €53 million in the first place but that amount will be used up quickly because of the enthusiasm from all over the country for building a network of greenways. The vision I have for the country is that we will have an integrated network throughout the country and also that we use roads that are used less at the moment and are sometimes seen almost as liabilities by local authorities. We intend to put those roads to use and help to create that integrated network.

Deputy Troy mentioned Center Parcs and there is a massive opportunity for everywhere within an hour's radius of Center Parcs. That will be a catalyst for growing the Ireland's Hidden Heartlands experience and brand and we are pushing it heavily. I met with Fáilte Ireland this morning about festivals. We are looking to create an iconic festival around the Ireland's Hidden Heartlands brand that will help to strengthen that experience.

The Waterford greenway was mentioned. I cycled it last year and it is a great example of how to build a greenway and put in place the accommodation works to facilitate local people who are living along the line. For example, Kilmacthomas is a town on that greenway which has been transformed since it opened. I was there on a Tuesday morning in early April and the greenway was busy with visitors and that is a good sign. We need to be improving our seasonality and regionality.

China was mentioned. I must mention Mr. Niall Gibbons and his team at Tourism Ireland for the work they are doing in that market to try to make the most of opportunities, particularly with the arrival of Hainan Airlines and Cathy Pacific Airways routes direct from Dublin to China. There is an opportunity there because it is a huge market. We know that there are many high-spending individuals in that market and we are doing our best to try to bring as many of those people here as possible and get them to stay for as long as possible.

I concur on the insurance issue. We know that it has been to the fore recently but it is one of our key challenges, as well as the costs of credit and energy. Those are considerable challenges for us. I clearly remember, ten or 12 years ago, that certain businesses lost the run of themselves completely in terms of the prices that were being charged. There is significant reputational risk when prices start to escalate. People can look at the various contributing costs but, at the same time, we must ensure that people do not hide behind those costs as an excuse for pushing up prices.

Deputy Munster talked about regionality and seasonality. Improving those are the key focuses of our tourism policy, to get as many visitors as possible into the regions for as long as possible, particularly off peak season. To that end, Fáilte Ireland recently launched the Destination Towns initiative to provide funding to local authorities to develop towns that are traditionally not tourism hotspots and give them a better opportunity to attract visitors and get them to stay longer. We launched the Púca Festival, which will take place at Halloween, in the Boyne Valley in County Meath recently. Drogheda will be one of the towns that will benefit from that. That is another exciting development from Fáilte Ireland. It will be working closely with the agencies on the ground, as well as with Tourism Ireland, to try to bring in as many people as possible.

I will also talk about the tips Bill. I earned my first tip when I was five years of age, an old pound note in the hotel in Killarney where my father worked for 40 years and where I spent seven years. I was good at earning tips. One has to be able to talk to earn tips so it led to a good career in politics. I certainly want people in the industry to be treated as fairly as possible. A culture of tips creates an incentive for people to work harder, try harder and provide an even greater welcome than that for which we are renowned. I am passionate about that and people absolutely need to be treated fairly. I am glad to report that the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty, is planning to introduce an amendment to the Payment of Wages Act so that tips cannot be used to make up or satisfy payment of contractual rates of pay. She also intends to provide for a requirement on employers to clearly display their policy on how tips, gratuities and service charges are distributed in their premises and I welcome that.

A number of other issues were raised by other Deputies. As the Ceann Comhairle is telling me I do not have time now, I will try to respond specifically to the Deputies and try to follow up on the matters raised.

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