Michael McCarthy (Labour)

I am grateful that the Minister is present for this debate and that he has attended two previous debates in this Chamber. I can understand the demands on his time. I welcome the Bill. The Labour Party has no reservations about it at this juncture.

Tourism has been a major part of our economy in recent years and during the economic boom it seemed to take on a life of its own. No matter what one did, it seemed to be successful. It generated massive revenue but suffered a devastating setback with the events of 11 September 2001 and the foot and mouth outbreak, neither of which anybody could have foreseen. It is important when such debacles occur that we have an appropriate recovery programme which can be used to help limit their effects and assist the various elements of the tourism industry to get back up and running as soon as is practicable.

This Bill provides for the amalgamation or merger of two distinct bodies, one of them statutory. I presume this decision was not taken without many consultations and negotiations over various issues. The merger of any two organisations can have teething problems which cause certain degrees of difficulty. The views and reactions of the people involved in both boards are critical to a smooth transition to a new entity which has the same functions of the original two entities. It is important, particularly in this sector, that issues do not arise under the single governing body which would hinder the progress of the industry in general.

The majority of our tourists, as Senator Fitzgerald pointed out, come from the UK. It is important that we market this country in the UK and seek to exploit every ounce of potential in that market. For years before our tourism industry became so successful the majority of our tourism business came from the UK, particularly in times of low economic performance. It is important, therefore, that we continue to concentrate our marketing in the United Kingdom. As the saying goes, "when all fruit fails, welcome haws". I do not intend that remark to be flippant but it is important for the tourism industry that we maintain a strong emphasis on marketing this country abroad and particularly in the UK.

The training and development agency CERT provides a high standard of training to the many people who go through that school of education. It has been critical to the delivery of a good service in the sector. That is of the utmost importance. Service is something everybody is conscious of when they go away on a break or on a holiday. It is critical that there is a good standard of service and the people who deliver the service should be suitably qualified to do so. One can have the best product in the world but if there is a bad conduit between it and the public, the product can fail as a consequence. CERT has proved over the last number of years that it is an institution of high standards, including high academic standards. It also ensured the delivery of all products in whatever areas to a standard that was second to none.