Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to have an opportunity to speak on this issue and I welcome the Minister to the House. This is a technical Bill and will be supported from all sides of the House. It provides an opportunity for Members to speak about some of the tourism issues affecting their constituencies. I thank the Government and all the Ministers for the very welcome financial injection it gave to the tourism sector in the recent budget. It was much needed in the context of the energy crisis. I have spoken to hoteliers in my constituency. For those hotels with leisure centres, swimming pools, gyms and the like, especially, energy prices have gone through the roof and this is impacting them greatly. I would like the Minister and the Government to watch over this sector because it is important to our economy.

This brings me to the rate of VAT in the tourism context. I understand it was there for a specific reason. I spoke to hoteliers in my constituency during the summer and leading up to the budget regarding the VAT rate. Hotel prices in Dublin acted as a major dampener in the context of the way they were running their businesses. The more they came out to try to defend their position during the summer months, the more infuriated I became. I refer specifically to the bigger cities and Dublin. We must examine separating hotel prices in Dublin from those, for example, in Wexford, where I come from. I will try to defend those in Wexford, where there is fantastic value in most hotels.

I heard some people from the Irish Hotels Federation coming out in recent months and saying that it was possible to get a night in a hotel in Dublin for €140. Well, I would like to have seen that. As someone who stays in Dublin from one to three nights weekly, the cheapest hotel it was possible to get during the summer months of June, July and August, or in May, June and July when the Dáil was sitting, was €280 to €300. Some Members have told me that their rates went up by 200% and more in some of the hotels they were staying in. Those hotels were sending a clear message that they were making hay while the sun shone. Fair play to them. They forgot, though, about the rainy days and there will always be rainy days. This is why I ask the Minister to examine the VAT rate in Dublin. I spoke to the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, about this point. I know it is difficult to do. More importantly, however, I ask her to look at the VAT rate in the hotel sector and in the restaurant sector. Our restaurants are really under pressure. I genuinely make this point to the Minister. I have no vested interest in any restaurant or anything like that, but speaking to restaurateurs in my constituency and here in Dublin, in the context of energy prices and everything like that having gone through the roof, I genuinely ask the Minister to look at this VAT rate.

Turning to An Bord Pleanála, I wish to talk about its process, system and criteria. There is a shortage of hotels here. Representatives of An Bord Pleanála should be hauled in and asked what they are playing at. I have a perfect example of what I am talking about in Wexford town. An Bord Pleanála has refused a hotel planning permission on two occasions now. All the issues originally raised by the board have been fully addressed, and I mean fully addressed, and yet the hotel got a second refusal in this regard. I just cannot understand this. I see the situation with the ring road in Galway, and I know there are specific issues there, and it is nothing to do with me because it is not in my county, but I feel that what is happening in An Bord Pleanála means its representatives should be brought in and asked what their game is, what they are playing at and what is going on in that organisation. I will say no more.

The last Deputy spoke about the Ukrainian crisis and the refugee crisis we have. The Government must get a handle on this for next year's tourism market, specifically regarding the hotel sector. Ireland is becoming a very costly destination. Regarding the number of hotels that have closed their doors to take in Ukrainian refugees, that is their own business. We have a crisis and we must handle it. At the same time, however, we cannot forget about our domestic tourism market. We do not want to overprice and destroy ourselves for many years to come in this regard.

Turning to the Rosslare-Waterford greenway, I am aware that a rail review is being undertaken now. I am not sure where the publication of that report stands. Talk about the western rail corridor has been going on as long as I have been in Government, since 2011, and it is still going on. I do not believe that a railway will ever again run between Rosslare and Waterford. If it does, however, I will have no problem with it. I believe we can also look, however, at having a greenway running in parallel with the Rosslare-Waterford line. Greenways are a fantastic tourism magnet for every county. We see that in the south east. I differ with my colleague regarding the Ireland's Ancient East marketing initiative. I think it is doing a fantastic job. I would, though, like to see us get the same marketing as the Wild Atlantic Way gets.

The other issue I wish to talk about concerns car rental. This is a major issue and there is a great shortage in this regard. The cost of car rental is extremely high and this is driving away tourists from our American and other markets. I am also delighted that "Prime Time" is going to do a programme on O'Connell Street this week. As an Irish person, it is a street I am ashamed of. It is full of druggies, crime, antisocial behaviour, robberies, takeaways and alcohol. This is the main street in our national capital. If Dublin City Council does not address what is happening on O'Connell Street, and the streets surrounding it, then I would not send a tourist there-----

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