John McGahon (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the issue of coach tourism. The Coach Tourism & Transport Council of Ireland, CTTC, is the largest representative body for private coach operators, which are involved in everything from tourism to transporting children to school in rural Ireland. The chairperson of the CTTC, John Halpenny, comes from my neck of the woods in Dundalk, County Louth. He is involved in Halpenny's Travel and I had a long conversation with him on Wednesday during which he outlined a couple of points. He told me there are 1,721 coach operators in Ireland, carrying a total of 75 million passengers a year ranging from American tourists to a child going to school. The sector provides a total of 11,457 jobs and contributes €400 million to the Irish economy.

A recent report on the sector from the economist Jim Power outlined the serious difficulties it faces in light of the Covid era in which we find ourselves. Turnover has declined by 95%, which is the equivalent of losing €586 million. I am sure the Leader will agree that is quite a substantial loss. The report stated that the difficulties in the sector disproportionately affect regional and rural economies. The transport needs of rural towns include transporting children to school and tourists around the county. Coach operators provide a wide range of services.

The CTTC made a very interesting, logical and detailed proposal to the Covid committees and outlined five big asks. I will not go through all of them because my time is limited but the most important are that the financial support package of €32 million it has asked for is delivered, that a restoration of the fuel rebate to pre-2019 levels is considered and that the possibility of a moratorium on loans until income reaches 80% of previous levels is examined. It is very important that we ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to come to the House to outline his plans for the survival of this very important industry.