Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

I fully support the right of a free media in a democracy to report and to bring the Government and its Ministers to account where the spending of public money is involved. I was misinterpreted in the suggestion I made which I will make again. We have heard the Minister of State outline the proposals to try to get more people to come to this country and to improve the tourist product, particularly this year. I drew attention to the fact that each year only five or six Ministers travelled to targeted markets around the world and that a cynical view was taken of Ministers who travelled abroad to represent Ireland at this particular time of the year. I will repeat the request I made. The media should report on these trips, illustrate how much they cost, indicate how long Ministers go for and go into all the detail of what they do when abroad. I support all of this. If they were to do this, they would find out, as I have discovered in talking to members of the Irish Diaspora in Australia, America, Canada and elsewhere in Europe, including Britain, that these visits are gruelling in their intensity but that what is important - Ministers do not complain about this - is that Ministers are on the top of a pyramid which involves the IDA, Enterprise Ireland, Tourism Ireland, local Diaspora organisations and the business communities in the cities and countries they visit in ensuring that not only are important business connections made but also that their presence attracts the business community to come out. Ministers are at the top of that important pyramid. That is what Tourism Ireland is attempting to do.

I make these remarks in the context of Tourism Ireland's presentation to the Joint Committee on Arts, Sport and Tourism in which it outlined what the Minister of State has outlined here, namely, the significant marketing campaign in which it is getting involved. In fact, it is gearing up to engage in one of the most sustained and focused marketing campaigns ever conducted. Some €26 million of taxpayers' money will be spent worldwide in an effort to increase visitor numbers to Ireland. There will be a particular emphasis on the UK market, including on the use of the flash mob concept at eight major railway stations across the country. Each morning and evening during the week in which St. Patrick's Day falls Irish traditional musicians and Tourism Ireland personnel will descend on the travelling public to provide uniquely Irish entertainment and engage with passengers on the attractions of taking a holiday in Ireland. I applaud such inventive and creative thinking by Tourism Ireland to get people focused, particularly in our nearest and largest market in the United Kingdom. The Irish Diaspora will be utilised in cities and towns across the country in which St. Patrick's Day activities will be held to highlight the value and enjoyment to be had from a holiday in Ireland.

Of particular significance is the announcement made by the Taoiseach, reiterated by the Minister of State, that agreement has been reached between Iarnród Éireann and the Government to participate in a new scheme to offer free travel to senior citizens visiting Ireland from abroad. I express my appreciation of the tourism industry for undertaking this initiative with the Government and Iarnród Éireann. I commend the extraordinary pioneering work done by the Irish Diaspora, particularly in the United Kingdom, through the Federation of Irish Societies and many other Irish Diaspora societies which for many years lobbied successive Governments to introduce free travel for senior citizens, former emigrants, who settled in the United Kingdom and wish to return to Ireland as an incentive and a "thank you" for the contribution they made through emigrant remittances at a time when the country badly needed them. In that context, even though we are talking about the narrow concept of tourism, there is wider symbolic recognition of this initiative. I applaud the Government for introducing it.

I add a caveat, however. I hope, once the concept is up and running - I understand the scheme will be initiated in the week on which St. Patrick's Day falls; I am sure the Minister of State will have further details on its introduction - it will be extended to include bus travel. Until recently I was chairman of Fáilte Ireland North West. Of the five regions, it is the one that needs the most visitors because it attracts the least number of international visitors. Of the five counties in that region - Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan and Monaghan - there is only a rail service to counties Leitrim and Sligo. There is no rail service or network in County Donegal, the jewel in the crown and the heart beat of the tourist economy in the north west. It relies on tourism to an extraordinary degree to boost the local economy. Notwithstanding the importance of counties Cavan and Monaghan which offer their own unique tourism product, they will not benefit from the scheme because there is no rail service in either county. It seems that, when one looks at the map, it will be the areas with the largest concentrations that will benefit. I do not for one moment take away from County Kerry and the fact that it is a peripheral region-----