Kieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Let me give Senator Humphreys a complete answer. I want to support the 9% rate and I want to ensure that any competitiveness is passed back to the consumer, both the Irish person and the visitor. I want to ensure consumers are not being exploited. I think that is very clear. It is a normal, basic tenet. I want to thank Senator Humphreys for enabling me to articulate my point even further.

The issue of small rural villages is part of this motion. There are many rural villages in Limerick. Anyone who has done the Seanad campaign and has travelled the length and breadth of Ireland cannot but say that we have a beautiful country. People are not aware of many areas. One sees the breadth of beauty in small rural villages as one goes through Ireland. We have to ensure that when people fly into Dublin they come down the country. In Shannon visitors are encouraged to go to Limerick and Clare, where there are very scenic views. We should look at imaginative ways to give support to rural villages to enable them to further enhance the tourism offers they have in place for people.

I am very supportive of the motion. As with anything, we must ensure that a product is giving value for money to the taxpayer whose taxes have been used on this product. At the same time, we must ensure that we have a viable tourism industry which employs a huge number of people. In Limerick we have the amenities of Shannon Airport, St. John's Castle, Foynes and many others. We need a robust tourism sector, and must make certain that it remains competitive by giving it assistance if necessary. However, that is on the condition that we do not see exploitation of that VAT rate in terms of charging exorbitant rates to consumers, be they domestic or foreign.