Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the sad passing last Saturday of a Galway great, Ken Bruen, one of the country's finest writers. He lived an extraordinary life, having spent 25 years travelling around the world working as an English teacher before he began writing in the nineties, with more than 50 works published since, several of which were turned into movies or television series. Of course, the Jack Taylor series was especially popular. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Phyl Kennedy Bruen, and their daughter, Grace.

The Central Statistics Office data on tourist numbers over recent months is concerning. As Members will be aware, the January figures saw a drop of 25% on the 2024 figures, while the February figures published last Friday saw a further stark decrease of 30% from February 2024. Both the tourism and hospitality sectors are obviously deeply concerned about such figures.This is particularly important given that there are several challenges already facing businesses within the industry, who have seen costs rise considerably in recent years. Members may be aware that the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation has said that although it has been a soft start to the year, it was nothing on the scale suggested by the CSO figures. We need to get clarity on that. Has there been any change in how the CSO collects these numbers? This could, perhaps, explain the significant reduction in January and February. Regardless, it is clear that this is an issue the Government needs to review and act upon. I ask the Leader of the House to request that the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, join us for a debate on the issue at his earliest convenience.