Tourism Industry
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-22
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Michael Cahill (FF), Kerry

The situation with energy is particularly concerning. Figures published today show that wholesale energy electricity prices were 76.9% higher in August than there were a year ago, having increased by almost 10% in August alone. Eurostat data also show that Ireland had the highest non-household electricity prices in the EU in the second half of 2025. I am hearing consequences directly from businesses all over Kerry. I know of one business in Killarney that has reduced its headcount from 125 staff to 105 but is still trying to deliver essentially the same level of output. It is stretching its assets, staff and resources as far as it possibly can simply to keep its head above water. This cannot continue indefinitely.
The Irish Hotels Federation has made the point that tourism and hospitality support approximately 270,000 livelihoods with around 70% of those jobs outside Dublin. These are not just businesses. They are employers, they are part of our towns and villages, and they are a fundamental part of the regional economy. Having delivered the 9% VAT rate, what further steps can the Government take to tackle the wider cost of doing business, particularly energy, labour and insurance costs in order that the benefit of the 9% VAT reduction is not simply swallowed up by increases elsewhere?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-22/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:49+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-22