Mary Ann O'Brien (Independent)

I wish to bring two matters to the attention of Senators. Some may be aware of the European Court of Justice ruling last week that could see hoteliers being required to pay for their guests' use of copyrighted material. This means any hotel with radios and televisions in its bedrooms would be forced to pay royalties.

I was under the impression that a hotel bedroom was a private space. Understandably, the judgment has been met with criticism by the Irish Hotels Federation chief executive Mr. Tim Fenn. He said the outrageous ruling will result in an additional layer of costs being imposed on hotels and guesthouses at a time when many businesses, as we are all aware, are struggling to survive. If introduced in Ireland it has been reported hotel owners may have to pay up to €1 per day per room, regardless of whether the room is occupied. In case of a 50 room hotel this will cost €50 a day, €350 a week or €18,200 a year. It is madness.

Is this a bill the struggling hotel industry can afford? The judgment stated the broadcasting of phonograms or musical performances by hotel operators is of a profit-making nature. The action of the hotel by which it gives access to the broadcast work to its customers constitutes an additional service which has an influence on the hotel's standing and therefore on the price of the rooms. It said, in the explanation for its ruling, that equitable remuneration of the broadcast must be paid by the hotel in addition to that paid by the broadcaster. I ask the Leader to bring this to the attention of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Leo Varadkar. It will have a major impact on our tourism sector which is one of the more positive stories emerging from our economy.

I also echo a call from IBEC earlier this week for the Government to set up a single web portal for companies to access information on research and development funding and funding in general. A wide range of supports are available from a variety of agencies and programmes, which is wonderful, but one would want to have ten degrees as well as a master's degree from Trinity College, UCD and ten other universities to find one's way through the maze.

To help companies navigate the maze, IBEC has published a new guide to research and develop opportunities available to Irish companies. Unlock the Opportunities identifies over 30 specific supports available for research activities from over 14 State and semi-State agencies and over €11 billion has been made available by the European Commission.

Almost 50% of companies in Ireland are now carrying out some form of innovative activities. We all know innovation is a way forward for most of our businesses. Evidence shows that use of these types of support have boosted the export resilience of companies, making them more competitive in the global marketplace. Companies can use the information contained in the guide to select the approach-----