Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Smith family. I also welcome the proposed legislation on civil registration of stillbirths. My wife is a midwife and I do not think a Christmas goes by where this issue is not discussed. It is very important legislation on an issue that affects so many families on a daily basis. It is very important that we progress this, if we possibly can.

The other issue I will raise is where our tourism industry is going. In my part of the world, like the Cathaoirleach's, we are very dependent on tourism. American tourists, in particular, are very important to the trade. From Kinsale to Clonakilty and into Killarney, the need for American tourists is very much there. The currency issue at present is actually very positive for us when it comes to American tourists. In 2012, American tourists spent $1.30 for every euro, whereas today they are getting parity, which means we are a very good place for American tourists to visit. We need a very good strategy over the next 18 months to capitalise on that. The potential is there for places such as west Cork and County Kerry to get multiples of the people who are coming from America at present, if we just market it correctly. From talking to the Americans I met last Saturday night in Kinsale, they said what great value Cork, and west Cork in particular, was because of the exchange rate.

We need to have a real, decent debate with the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in this Chamber in the next few weeks about our strategies for the next few months so we can capitalise on that exchange rate. There are issues regarding transportation and car rentals, which is a very important issue for counties Cork and Kerry. We need to make sure those issues are solved for next year's season. The potential and appetite are there. We need the Minister to come to the Chamber to give us her long-range plan for the next 18 months so that areas such as west Cork can benefit from the potential that is there at present.