Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)

I very much welcome the competition in respect of airlines and visitors coming to this country. Obviously, I compliment Ryanair on the work it is doing, as well as Aer Lingus, our national carrier.

There have been many complaints about the congestion at Dublin Airport. I welcome the fact that the Minister for Transport has talked about a second terminal, for which many have looked because of the huge volume of traffic passing through the airport.

I welcome the fact that other airports have created their own packages to entice tourists to the country. For example, at Horan International Airport at Knock, County Mayo, there has been a big promotion to try get people into the west. There are now promotions of direct flights from Knock to Spain. The advertising in this regard states there is plenty of room to park one's car and that there is no congestion. It is now relatively easy to take flights from the west to Spain.

This raises the question of how one gets people into the west. While the promotion by Horan International Airport is very welcome, another issue that should be looked at by the Minister concerns the railway system. I have spoken in the House before about what I call the north-south line, the Sligo-Limerick line, with links to Rosslare. The line has been downgraded on a number of occasions, first by taking away passenger traffic and then freight traffic.

During an Adjournment debate last week I stated I was appalled by the disconnection of the signalling system at Athenry, County Galway and the taking up of part of the track. This is sending out the wrong message as regards getting money invested in the railway. Iarnród Éireann has costed the restoration of the service at €100 million. By way of a tourism project, we should get the line upgraded again. A light rail system is certainly needed to get traffic from Tuam into Galway. To get people from the south east to the west, it would make sense to have a fully serviced railway line in place. People arrive at Rosslare and find it difficult to make the journey across to the west. A railway would be a definite answer.

I do not begrudge anybody a continental holiday, but some years ago we had a travel tax, which was removed. At a time when the economy is in difficulty we should look at ways of raising money. It might be advisable for the Minister to look at the question of a travel tax in this regard.