Mark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Martin, to the House today. The Irish tourism industry is facing its biggest ever crisis. The headline figures the industry is suffering at this moment are mind blowing. I will quote two of those figures. There has been a loss of €5.7 billion in earnings from overseas visitors and upwards of 160,000 jobs have been lost, with several hundred businesses facing permanent closure.

The tourism and hospitality industry employed more than 265,000 people throughout the State. It was the largest indigenous employer in the country, accounting for one job in nine in the State. Some 70% of those employed in the tourism industry are operating outside of Dublin. Tourism has become the heartbeat of rural Ireland, becoming a vital component of life there. So many rural counties depend on tourism employment. Kerry with 18% employment, Donegal with 13% and Waterford with 12% are examples of the huge percentage of jobs depending on this sector. Simply put, if we do not try to save the greatest amount of these jobs, then rural Ireland and its communities will be decimated.

Over recent weeks I have taken the opportunity to speak to many involved in this industry and I would like to use some of my time today to raise a number of issues around those employed in the industry. Notwithstanding what the Minister said in her opening remarks, there is a growing concern that Government is not doing enough for those who work or have worked in the industry with regard to their future training needs. It is vital the expertise for which we are world famous is retained. It is essential those responsible for the céad míle fáilte can continue in the industry.

We welcome the payment packages put in place by Government and support their extension. Retaining tourism jobs and skills, however, will be vital to the recovery of this industry. An immediate upskilling and reskilling programme is needed for tourism. I am aware the tourism task force has identified the need for lifelong learning programmes through digital platforms, a call supported by those in the education sector. This will increase the quality of jobs in tourism and sustain those jobs in rural Ireland I spoke about previously. Those involved in education of the tourism sector can provide a one-stop shop for those working or who have worked in the industry. These educational providers have the experience and the personnel to roll out such courses. They should be encouraged and supported by Government to develop further their excellent courses, which are world renowned. We have an opportunity here in an online world to assist with the personal development of those formerly employed in the industry and those who we hope will have a future in this industry.

There is always, of course, a need to ensure all such employment is sustainable and conforms to all employment law.At a time when youth unemployment runs at over 50%, there is no doubt that tourism can play its part once again in reducing such numbers. Previously, one in two of those employed in the sector was aged under 35 years old, compared with less than one in three in the total workforce. It is time to give those educators the resources to develop these gateways.

I wanted to raise a number of local opportunities that have national outcomes. I have been struck by the numbers already using the blueway in my home county of Kildare over recent weeks. There is both an international and domestic opportunity in developing these blueways. We must capitalise on this opportunity by further providing the funding for those who wish to invest and develop tourist attractions along these tracks. These attractions can sustain rural communities and provide the jobs such communities will need into the future. I once again mention the Umeras peatland experience outside Monasterevin, County Kildare. It is a sustainable way of maintaining our magnificent bogs post production while still providing opportunities in the areas they are located.

Many in the restaurant and food business have identified outdoor dining opportunities. Many local authorities, as has already been said, have embraced this idea through pilot schemes in which they have pedestrianised streets and forgone specific planning charges. It is time we embraced this further and provided a roadmap to local authorities and businesses on how they can fully embrace this idea. The Government needs to move quickly to utilise these open spaces. It can revitalise many towns and cities and, most importantly, such places can play a major part in sustaining and reopening the sector.

I also ask the Minister to consider food trucks which have sprung up in many locations in Covid-19 Ireland. We need to regulate these opportunities vis-à-visexisting businesses. They can provide employment and sustain many rural locations, but the Government must consider the displacement of existing business. These can provide a solution for the mainly rural locations of our greenways and blueways.

I mention the discussion we recently had in the Seanad on the increase in illegal dumping. At a time we are looking to the future of our tourism project, we cannot sustain this damage being done to our countryside, villages, towns and cities. Our tourism product is built on our unspoilt landscapes. I ask the Minister, as the Minister with responsibility for tourism, to ensure the Bill we passed last week on Second Stage to combat this blight or the proposed Government legislation is brought forward as quickly as possible. We can no longer allow our tourism product to be tarnished.

I have raised previously with the Minister the problems we predicted with the stay and spend scheme. It has already been mentioned in the debate. The stay and spend scheme was budgeted to cost the Exchequer €270 million. In a recent reply to my colleague, Deputy Duncan Smith, the figures released show expenditure of €9.2 million and a potential tax cost of €1.8 million. Speaking to those in the industry, the word "cumbersome" was the most common word used to describe the scheme. We need to consider a new scheme, maybe similar to the one in the UK where the emphasis is put on the Government to pay part of an invoice from a tourism or restaurant provider, with the consumer paying the other part at the point of sale. The domestic market needs a boost. The Irish Hotels Federation in its most recent publication reports booking levels of just 22% for July and 20% for August.

Along with many in the industry, I have asked for the Minister's Department to concentrate on the needs of the tourism industry at this time. If there were as big a threat to any other industry, the Government would recall the task force and meet weekly, such is the enormity of the situation. At the end of the day, we are talking about 270,000 jobs. Those I have spoken to see the potential for creating further employment. They want to invest in their staff and new facilities. The greenways and blueways I spoke about are just some aspects of the great potential for new employment.

I thank the Minister for listening and ask her to consider the points I have raised.