Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

With regard to the hotel prices the Deputy mentioned, my officials have engaged with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland, the Irish Tourism Industry Conferation, ITIC, and the IHF. They are also working with the tourism agencies. The Tánaiste and I co-chair a tourism and hospitality forum. That will be convening next week and we will raise those issues with it. I wrote to the DAA at the time, although it is not under my remit. I could see the potential and I wrote to express my concerns about the reputational damage to Ireland as a tourism destination as we seek to rebuild.

Regarding car rental, I am aware of the difficulties and the potential impact on the recovery of the tourism sector or the reputational damage. My officials have met the Car Rental Council of Ireland, which recommends that people can contact hire companies directly. However, neither my Department nor Fáilte Ireland has control over prices set by service providers in the tourism industry.

We have no regulatory or other functions in regard to the car rental industry. Each operator decides on its level of charges, having regard to its costs and the requirement to make an adequate return on its investment. My Department is examining possible taxation options which might assist car rental companies to rebuild their fleet in order to meet tourism demands, while recognising that taxation matters are ultimately a matter for the Minister for Finance.

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