Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I wish to raise a couple of issues and I concur with the comments of Senator Cummins. I also ask that the Minister look to expanding the roles in the various higher education institutions, HEIs, across the therapies. This is an issue of which everyone is well aware. There is a shortage of occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists, speech and language therapists and this is an area which also needs to be tackled. I call on the Minister to issue expressions of interest to the various universities to provide extra places and to provide therapies for those children most in need.

Another issue I wish to raise is in respect of rural development funding. There are a number of projects, and one in particular in my own area, which secured funding a number of years ago in conjunction with Fáilte Ireland. This was the development of a heritage centre, the Knights & Conquests Heritage Centre in Granard in north Longford. Unfortunately, the tenders which have come back in now have gone to €1 million plus over what was granted in funding from both that Fáilte Ireland programme and from Longford County Council. I am looking for additional funding to be put in place from the Department of Rural and Community Development to ensure that project gets off the ground. Unfortunately, it is stalled at present so I am appealing that extra funding be put in place.I ask the Leader to pass on that to the Minister in question.

In regard to tourism, this issue has been all over the media in the last 24 hours and I have looked up the prices in a number of hotels. All of us on the Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media, including Senator Cassells, fought for and supported the reduction in the VAT rate, yet we have a situation where certain rooms will be cheaper in a couple of weeks than they will be in 12 months, whereas certain hotels tell us it is about the last-minute purchase of rooms. Twelve months out, some rooms have tripled in price. The committee is currently putting together a report on the development of rural tourism for publication in the coming weeks. We must acknowledge the knock-on effect this could have on all rural tourism.