Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2023-05-09
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Anne Rabbitte (FF), Galway East

I propose to take Questions Nos. 355 and 357 together.
As this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
I also point out that I am not the only one raising these concerns. Senior Fine Gael sources who spoke to the Irish Mail on Sunday , which is not The Ditch , also expressed their alarm. One is reported as saying:
It's creating real unease in rural Ireland - rural Ireland is ready to explode. We are being turned into economic ghettos where tourism is forced out of rural Ireland. Dublin's hotels may be booming, but ours are full of refugees wandering around main streets without a penny to spend.
Unless the Taoiseach wants to characterise these senior Fine Gael sources as part of some far-right conspiracy, he will have to deal with the seriousness of this situation. I want to know exactly what is being done to rescue our rural tourism from the effects of the Government's over-reliance on hotels. I want to know what the Government is doing to take this matter seriously and I do not want to hear the Taoiseach dismissing it because that is not fair to the small businesses in rural Ireland that are suffering because of the action or inaction of the Government. I want to hear a credible pathway outlined in terms of the mitigation measures that Government Departments can take to reduce the potential loss of €1 billion in revenue from the rural economy. I welcome the Taoiseach's thoughts and proposals on this matter.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2023-05-09/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:51:51+00:00
Sitting date: 2023-05-09