Joe O'Toole (Independent)

In welcoming the Minister of State to the House, I would emphasise that we have seen huge changes in tourism over a number of years. Ten years ago many people, including trade unionists, looked at tourism as a part-time industry with part-time jobs that were not real and could not be developed. This is thankfully beginning to change, but not quickly enough. Many places are taking a new look at tourism. The Minister of State's part of the country was not interested in tourism 20 years ago because it had factories and full employment, unlike other areas. When it lost those it suddenly came late into the tourism industry. There are a couple of places where the impact of tourism may be seen, either coming or going. Tramore experienced the opposite and is now coming back again. The same is true of Ballybunion where tourism was in recession and is coming back, and Bundoran. It is important to create stability because of the impact tourism has on such places.

I would like to make a number of fundamental points. Picking up appropriately on what Senator Mansergh dealt with, there is the costs differential between Ireland and continental Europe. We all talk about France, Spain or Portugal where we had a meal for two and it only cost two shillings or whatever. Why does it cost so much here?

There are various things to be looked at, but we can do something about it. I have looked closely at this. I have gone into restaurants and cafés in various countries and studied the differences. I ask the Minister of State to get someone to take this on board. All one has to do is go through the process of opening a restaurant in Ireland and compare it to opening one in other countries, in terms of the requirements. One should have a look at the regulations which we have in place to set up a restaurant and which are shocking. The regulations are totally irrational, one reason for which is because they were put together at the behest of the so-called hospitality industry, which used to be called the vintners, to stop restaurants selling alcohol and to stop restaurants from developing. The most extraordinary conditions must be fulfilled before one can set up a restaurant.