Results 3,161-3,180 of 6,645 for speaker:Jimmy Deenihan

Tourism Promotion (24 Nov 2010)

Jimmy Deenihan: I remind the Minister that there will be almost 1 million fewer tourists visiting the country this year than in the previous year, with a possible loss of €1 billion in revenue. The Minister has outlined some of the measures she has taken but what further measures does she intend to take? It is agreed right across the industry that the travel tax is having a detrimental effect on...

Tourism Promotion (24 Nov 2010)

Jimmy Deenihan: May I finish?

Tourism Promotion (24 Nov 2010)

Jimmy Deenihan: Of course. I am asking questions.

Tourism Promotion (24 Nov 2010)

Jimmy Deenihan: There is no need to explain.

Tourism Promotion (24 Nov 2010)

Jimmy Deenihan: Could I complete -----

Tourism Promotion (24 Nov 2010)

Jimmy Deenihan: Can I ask -----

Tourism Promotion (24 Nov 2010)

Jimmy Deenihan: Absolutely.

Tourism Promotion (24 Nov 2010)

Jimmy Deenihan: This is new procedure.

Tourism Promotion (24 Nov 2010)

Jimmy Deenihan: Tourism Ireland said it is impossible to plan without regular CSO figures. Has the Minister done anything to address the staffing problem at the CSO so that we can get the monthly figures as we did in the past?

Tourism Promotion (24 Nov 2010)

Jimmy Deenihan: What about the travel tax?

Tourism Promotion (24 Nov 2010)

Jimmy Deenihan: I am rather surprised, despite the indication yesterday that the Minister is in favour of scrapping this tax, that this is not mentioned in the national recovery plan. Obviously, the tax and the revenue from it is very much part of the programme for the next four years. Will the Minister clarify that position? Is it factored into the plan?

Company Closures (24 Nov 2010)

Jimmy Deenihan: Question 23: To ask the Minister for Tourism; Culture and Sport her views on the suggestion that one restaurant is closing every day; her plans to combat this collapse in our restaurant sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44379/10]

Company Closures (24 Nov 2010)

Jimmy Deenihan: The Restaurants Association of Ireland claims that one restaurant closes per day and the evidence for this can be seen in towns and cities all over Ireland. It has also reported that eight in ten restaurants operate at a loss and that 21,000 jobs are at risk. I ask the Minister how she proposes to address the issues it has raised. Food costs are 24% above the EU average and the joint...

Company Closures (24 Nov 2010)

Jimmy Deenihan: Would the Minister agree with the Restaurants Association of Ireland's claim that jobs are at risk? Does she accept this is an urgent matter and that unless something is done at Government level to protect these jobs, they will be lost? Finally, the Minister indicated that restaurants are very much part of our tourism infrastructure. An increasing number of visitors to Ireland enjoy not...

Tourism Industry (24 Nov 2010)

Jimmy Deenihan: One restaurant a day is closing in this country and 82% of hotels will shed jobs before Christmas because of their financial position. Given that the Valuation Act 2001 envisaged that every rateable property would have its valuation revised every five to ten years and that to date the Commissioner of Valuation has only carried out revisions in three out of 88 rating areas around the country,...

Tourism Industry (24 Nov 2010)

Jimmy Deenihan: I have asked the Minister this question before and called upon her to do something about it. Has she addressed the issue of hotels controlled by NAMA and those run by banks? I understand some 120 hotels are now being run by banks. They are providing very unfair competition to hotels that are still performing legitimately and paying their staff, taxes and so on. It is becoming more of an...

Tourism Industry (24 Nov 2010)

Jimmy Deenihan: It is not.

Tourism Industry (24 Nov 2010)

Jimmy Deenihan: It is fair to acknowledge that there was not a problem because there was such a fall-off in tourists coming to the country. They come in different ways but most tourists who come here need a car. The fact that we will be down about 1 million tourists this year would have decreased demand on our car rental fleet. If the Minister expects to build up tourism figures to eight million she must...

Tourism Industry (24 Nov 2010)

Jimmy Deenihan: The reason we did not have a problem this summer was the fall off in the number of tourists. I am aware of people who were coming to Ireland and who telephoned ahead to see if cars were available. I do not exaggerate but they were told cars were not available when they needed them, whether mid-week for a few days. That is the reason they did not come to Ireland. As the Minister knows, the...

London 2012 Olympics (24 Nov 2010)

Jimmy Deenihan: Is the Minister aware that while we are trying to attract Olympic teams to Ireland, many of our Olympic teams are leaving the country to go to training camps elsewhere? Will she indicate if any of the Irish teams are using Ireland as a training camp? I am aware of a number of teams going to other parts of Europe. Does she believe that sends a very negative message to other countries? If...