Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would like to refer to a message I received from a very frustrated hotel owner this morning. The Minister, Mr. Ross, and, I am certain, the Minister of State, Deputy Griffin, have visited his hotel during their time in the Oireachtas. He has indicated that he has written to the energy regulator as over €9,000 has been wasted by being taken from him in the form of fixed standing charges, site charges, skip charges, wastage, and charges of minimum demand for electricity and gas over the last three months. The hotel is closed and although the reception is open, it is not open to the public. There are people answering the phones. He is being hit with these standing charges so are there any relevant emergency rules in this regard? Where is the regulator in this when utility companies can charge €9,000 in these circumstances? That is savage money.

Insurance is an even bigger problem because the business pays €100,000 per annum for the year running from January to December. The business cannot get any credit or guarantee of extra time being allowed on the policy from the insurance company. He has been told that it might look at a discount when it reviews the matter next year. Dúirt bean liom go ndúirt bean léi. Live horse and get grass. That is ridiculous. We are talking about a very important and flagship hotel in my constituency in south Tipperary on the banks of the Suir.

Everybody else is in the same position. This is only one but whether it be pubs, restaurants or whatever they are all the same. These standing charges have crept in for these companies in the past ten or 15 years. We have a regulator for every one of them but the regulator is useless, toothless and fruitless. This man wrote to the regulator. Why is this allowed? He is not using the facilities. He does not mind paying a minimum charge but that is daylight robbery. Something has to be done in that regard if we are to recover what is now a struggling tourism industry because it has stopped. We must try to reincarnate it and get it going. From the small bed and breakfast premises to the big hotel, the people on the greenways and the blueways who are renting out boats and kayaks, the ice cream shops, the taxis or the small minibus operators, we need all of them. We are depending on ourselves. Ní neart go cur le chéile. I am appealing to people to shop local, stay local and "staycation" this year. They are telling us it is too dangerous to fly so let us support our own country and our own people.

On the VAT rate, the Taoiseach said today that he could not apply a 1% VAT rate because of EU rules. To hell with the EU rules. We are too used to kowtowing and implementing EU rules. We are Ireland and we want to recover and have a modicum of a livelihood for our wonderful families. Many of whom have ordinary family businesses that are growing and provide a massive amount of employment. The Minister of State, Deputy Griffin, knows about Kerry and the Minister, Mr. Ross, has seen it. He has also visited places in Tipperary with me, for which I thank him.

While I am at it, we used to be an-chairde ar fad; we were great friends. I wish the Minister well in his retirement and thank him for his engagement in the many issues on which I dealt with him. The only area on which we had a difference was the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill. He decided not to like me because I had a different view, and that is a pity. We need to hear all views in this House and we need to work together. I wish him a happy retirement with his wife, Ruth, and family. I hear he is writing a book. He will probably put me into it but whatever he does, I wish him luck. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

The tourism industry is in a bad state. It needs to be nurtured and stimulated but the carry-on with regard to hotels is not right. I had another hotel owner on to me who was trying to avail of the restart grant through the county council on the rates side. If one has paid the rates this year, one can avail of it. However, he did not have his taxes up to date because the doors closed suddenly on that date in March and he could not have them up to date. For this year, for people who paid by direct debit or whatever the tap was turned off on their businesses. Revenue must be flexible in this regard. I am not talking about outstanding tax bills going back over a year. I am talking about the current situation. The Minister must tell the people in Revenue to take a hands-off approach in terms of the accounts for this year. It cannot get blood out of a stone. It cannot get money out of people who are not earning money. It is as simple as that. We need the young people working in those hotels again. We need the housewives working in them again to help them put their children through college. We need them badly.

We need the ferry operators and the bus operators. I refer to the school transport buses. Private bus owners who mainly do a school transport service are still getting nothing. Anyone contracted to Bus Éireann is getting a 50% payment, which we welcome and thank the Minister for putting in place. However, the private bus owners, and there are many, service the hills and the glens of Tipperary, Kerry and elsewhere because Bus Éireann will not go to those areas. Parents organise the routes for themselves. The buses have to be tested, insured and above board, which is only right and proper. Those bus owners are not getting a penny, and because many of the drivers and operators are over 66 years of age they are not getting any other payment. It might only be a one-man operation. That is a huge lacuna and it is very unfair because we have bedlam every September with students not getting a bus ticket but what if we did not have the bus operators to bring the students to school? In my town, Denis Whelan runs a one-man operation and there are many more of them, including Mr. Tuohy in Nenagh. They do not pay rates because they have a mobile bus that is parked beside the house or in a yard. They are not in a building so they do not pay rates and therefore cannot avail of the grant. That will be a serious issue for the pupils going back to school if the bus owners do not the grant. I appeal to the Minister to look at that.

As stated by a previous speaker, the PSO funding is an important issue also.

With regard to driver tests, if one can take a taxi why can one not do a driver test? I know of hundreds of people who are waiting for driver tests or for theory tests, although I believe they are starting up again now. When are the National Car Test, NCT, centres in my county going to reopen and will the lifts be working when they do? People are driving around now and we are not sure about their cars. I support the NCT 100%. I especially support inspection of the undercarriage: the chassis, brakes, steering, wheels, stub axles and everything else in the area underneath. This is vital. If the lifts are not working many of us could be driving defective vehicles. We are paying for the NCT but it is a farce because that is the most important part. It includes the steering rack and so on. Will the Minister answer those few questions if he can?

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