Martin Brady (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister and wish to be associated with the remarks made by previous speakers on her good work in the Department.

Previous speakers have alluded to hotels and the crisis faced by them. As a crisis should be an opportunity to do something positive which should not be wasted, it is good that we are having this debate. When discussing hotels, one is inclined to refer to the major chains. However, a hotel in receivership in County Donegal was put up for sale for €500,000. As one would not have been able to buy a house for that amount a couple of years ago, that is telling. There should, therefore, be greater emphasis on small family run hotels which are unique, as one appreciates when one travels abroad to countries such as France where they are quite different. Many hotels in Ireland and other countries operate on the same model, are all decorated in the same fashion and do not differ from one another.

On road signage, a bugbear of mine, it is a case of a lot done but more to do. When travelling around the country, I often remark to myself that I do not know how tourists ever find their way around. Some signs are obscured by trees. This has been true for years, particularly in the midlands. While I will not reveal their specific locations, other signs have been pointing towards ditches for years. I recently attended a conference and getting in and out of the town in question was an absolute nightmare. It took four hours and I never again want to return to the place. In addition, there should be less emphasis on taxing goods, beds and so on and a greater emphasis on taxing detrimental environmental influences such as pollution.

I refer to the village of Howth, located in the area I represent, to provide examples of where much more should be done. It is probably one of the nicest villages in Ireland, let alone Dublin, but it only has one hotel. As there are very few facilities there to attract tourists, I ask what can be done. Marine tourism could be developed and great ideas have been presented by the local community council, as well as by fishermen such as Mr. Brian Doyle. The Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Connick, held a very positive meeting with them. Moreover, in common with all harbours nationwide, many small buildings have lain empty for years in the village. The leases expired and people did not renew them. In the context of marine tourism, they could be used for home industries such as jam making or similar activities. A lot of assistance could be provided in this regard.

Another area with potential is marine and ship maintenance. I accompanied fisherman from Howth and representatives of its local community council on a visit to Kilkeel Harbour last year to see how it operated. We found that it was absolutely booming. One of the biggest aspects of its business was the field of marine repairs and maintenance. When I asked from where it drew its clients, I was informed that they came from southern Ireland and Howth. When I asked what was the reason for this, I was informed that it was 25% cheaper to use its facilities. When I raised the issue with the Department responsible for marine affairs, I was told there were matters with which we had to comply in the Republic. We should get rid of them and do business in a more competitive manner to create jobs. That is the way forward.

There is too much bureaucracy and too much bickering about small things. For example, discussions on the location of a monument in Howth continued for two years on foot of objections. My point is that this is not simply the responsibility of the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport, other Departments also are involved. I refer to the Departments of Education and Skills and Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which has responsibility for marine affairs, as well as the local authorities, all of which should be brought together. While Howth has a tourist office, no one knows its location. It is situated at the end of the harbour and there is no signage for it. Despite this, 7,000 people visited the office in a recent quarter. These are small things that could be done but which have not been.

In addition, we must engage in upskilling. For example, nets used to be made in Howth. The old traditional skills, such as cheese making, must be promoted and facilities provided for people to upskill in these businesses. People are now willing to do anything or go into any type of business. The other day, I received a card from a former engineer who is now painting and doing up houses. People must be given the assistance and encouragement to take up new skills.

Senator Bacik mentioned ticket integration by Iarnród Éireann. That should be done. There is a great public transport service to Howth. The DART goes there. I would go further than Senator Bacik recommended. A tourist in Cork, for example, should be able to buy a ticket in Cork that would take them all the way to Howth.

We had a great angling industry, with people coming from England, France, Germany and other countries. I do some fishing myself and I have good knowledge of the fishing in our rivers and lakes. That business has gone. It provided terrific business for bed and breakfast establishments. Bed and breakfast providers should be supported, even more than hoteliers. We are inclined to think they do not matter and are old-fashioned and outdated. This is not so. There is still a great deal of business for bed and breakfast providers. I was in a bed and breakfast house in Donegal recently. I met a fellow guest who comes from Belgium every year and stays for three months in the same house. The woman of the house asked if I could explain why he did that. I could not, except that he was a man of 80 years of age and nursing homes in Belgium might be expensive. We should not forget about the bed and breakfast business. We should support it.

When we market tourism we should emphasise the fact that this is not "rip-off Ireland". This is not being done sufficiently. One political party put this slogan on posters. What a welcome for people driving into an Irish city from an airport to see a placard saying, "You have now entered rip-off Ireland". I hope that party never goes back to that campaign. It did an amount of damage.

I will pursue the rip-off Ireland slogan and tourism facilities in Howth with the Minister. Many good people in Howth are doing very good work. We had very productive meetings with the Minister of State, Deputy Connick, who has responsibility for marine matters. I have some ideas on the subject and I ask the Minister to consider them. We may work in conjunction with each other and bring all the interested groups in Howth together. They are splintered and not united, through no fault of their own. People need guidance, courage and assistance. This is a very important industry which employs a large number of people.

The National Employment Rights Authority is torturing employers. Its staff go around at night querying employees and wasting time. They should be redeployed to do some meaningful work.