Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Aylward, to the House. I am surrounded by Kilkenny men and, perhaps, a number of their constituents will be relocated to the Waterford constituency soon.

The report is excellent and those involved in its compilation must be complimented. It outlines the current position and the actions necessary for the future development of our tourism industry. It is a comprehensive, coherent and challenging report. However, I wonder whether, like many other reports that have been produced in the past, it will be left to gather dust with its many recommendations dependent on the availability of funding. I hope that will not be the case because the report contains many actions which are of paramount importance. We can look forward positively to the development of the industry if a number of them are implemented. We can never be complacent about tourism.

My colleague referred to competitiveness in terms of Ireland's position a number of years ago compared to its position currently. Competitiveness is the key to the development of the industry. The Minister referred to better value and cost effectiveness. Ireland has beautiful scenery and friendly people but most tourists come to Ireland expecting good value in terms of accommodation, food and drink. Ireland is not as competitive as it was and while this can be attributed to the industry itself, it can also be attributed to Government policy.

The Government's policy of indirect taxation is mentioned in the report, especially increases in VAT and excise duties. This issue must be examined. The budget will be announced in a few weeks and if there are increases in excise duties, it will mean one of the actions in the report can be discounted. The budget will demonstrate whether the Government is serious about tackling the actions proposed in the report. Government policy has resulted in additional costs to tourism operators. The issue of rates has also been mentioned. The Government must think seriously about these issues in the context of the development of the tourism industry because they go hand in hand and I hope that point will be taken on board.