Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 May 2024
172. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the percentage of all Fáilte Ireland registered tourism bed stock that was contracted to the State for the years 2021, 2022, 2023 and the most recent up-to-date percentage figure for 2024, per county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19966/24]
View answerThe importance of the tourism sector to the Irish economy and communities in every corner of Ireland is well understood and it is recognised that the use of tourist accommodation to support the government’s response to the humanitarian crisis has impacted the sector.
In Budget 2024, I secured a total funding of €216 million for the sector which will allow for continued support for tourism development at home and amongst overseas visitors. Within this overall allocation, I made up to €10 million available for a specific programme of supports targeted at tourism businesses experiencing particular challenges linked to the reduction in footfall in regions most impacted by tourism bed stock displacement. This programme of supports, developed and administered by Fáilte Ireland, includes a business support scheme, investment in sustainable tourism development and promotion, industry digitalisation, promotion of domestic tourism and festivals, and recruitment and retention initiatives.
The scheme has been specifically developed to support activity and attraction businesses that were most impacted in 2023 by the displacement of tourism accommodation stock. It involves a one-off Business Support Grant payment and applications for this grant were accepted between the 4 March and 12 April 2024. Fáilte Ireland is currently assessing those applications.
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) has been engaged across government concerning temporary accommodation for those in need of shelter and is responsible for all contracted accommodation used to house Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP) and other International Protection (IP) applicants.
In order to provide an immediate humanitarian response from February 2022 onwards, DCEDIY rapidly expanded the contracting of accommodation to house BOTP and IP applicants. This included the contracting of accommodation that was tourism related.
From March 2022 up until May 2023, DCEDIY had provided an analysis of its overall humanitarian accommodation portfolio. This had focused on that portfolio as a percentage of the registered tourism stock quantum. However, as more and more non-registered and non-tourism stock had come into the portfolio, the percentage of registered tourism accommodation being used by DCEDIY had declined and it was clear that a detailed analysis of the data needed to take place.
In June 2023, Fáilte Ireland undertook a granular analysis of the data provided by DCEDIY, and adopted a focused approach to the different classes of accommodation types in their portfolio. This analysis showed that the percentage of registered tourism accommodation being used was significantly lower than had been initially estimated.
Fáilte Ireland analysis of the data provided by DCEDIY in June 2023 showed that 13% of all registered tourism accommodation stock nationally was under contract to the state. The analysis also showed that an additional quantum of tourism-type accommodation that is not registered with Fáilte Ireland was also contracted to the state. Additional information in this regard, including county specific data, can be found in a report at the following link:
www.failteireland.ie/FailteIreland/media/WebsiteStructure/Documents/Publications/update-on-government-contracted-accommodation-stock.pdf?ext=.pdf
Follow up analysis by Fáilte Ireland of the data provided by DCEDIY showed that in November 2023 12% of all registered tourism accommodation stock was under contract to the state, down from 13% in June 2023. Again, additional information in this regard, including county specific data, can be found in a report at the following link: www.failteireland.ie/FailteIreland/media/WebsiteStructure/Documents/3_Research_Insights/overview-of-government-contracted-beds-nov-2023.pdf?ext=.pdf
Fáilte Ireland is in the process of carrying out a further analysis of current data provided by DCEDIY of all registered tourism accommodation stock that is under contract to the state and it hopes to finalise this analysis soon.
On the wider question of the use of tourism bedstock for humanitarian accommodation purposes, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth recently secured the Government's approval for a new comprehensive accommodation strategy for International Protection applicants that will see a move away from full reliance on private providers towards a core of state-owned accommodation, delivering 14,000 state-owned beds by 2028.
In addition, legislative changes brought in on the 14 March 2024 mean that anyone fleeing the war in Ukraine who registers for temporary protection and is looking for State-provided accommodation in Ireland will be accommodated for a maximum of 90 days in designated accommodation centres.
It is hoped that both these approaches will over time, help to reduce the reliance on tourism accommodation.
