Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)

There is a lot there. I thank the Deputy for his kind remarks as Gaeilge at the outset. The Deputy will be glad to know that in regard to the tourist tax, I have no role in that. That is a matter for the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, and the Department of Finance. I have personal views on a tourism tax. I do not think that levying a tax on people who are trying to get into the country is a good idea. I could be proven wrong by others but that is moot point.

Regarding the CSO and the Revenue Commissioners, as a former Minister of State in the Department of tourism, I know that it is very important to have accurate data. There are always people who will dispute the numbers and how they are collected, especially for inward tourism. How do people get onto the island? Some arrive into Belfast Airport and drive down, some arrive by ferry and drive down and so on. It is a moot point but it is well made. There is probably scope for a greater level of collaboration between Revenue, CSO, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland. That is something that I will feed back to the Minister, Deputy Burke.

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