Griffin: Tourism needs budget boost to counter Brexit threat

The finance minister has been put under pressure to dramatically increase the amount spent on tourism marketing to counter the Brexit threat.

Budget negotiations will continue throughout the weekend with ministers, the Independent Alliance, and Fianna Fáil as Paschal Donohoe tries to hammer out agreements.

While Mr Donohoe has indicated that Budget 2020 will contain some measures to support farmers, the tourism industry, and businesses which will be most severely impacted by Brexit, minister of state for Tourism Brendan Griffin has called for significantly more funding to market Ireland as a holiday destination.

Mr Griffin said he is looking for a “significant package” for the tourism sector, which has already seen a decrease in visitors coming from the UK this year.

“I will be asking Minister Donohoe to increase the marketing fund for Tourism Ireland,” he said.

“We got an increase in the marketing fund last year, but we need substantially more funding. We have already had challenges and in the event of a no-deal, it will become even more challenging.”

Mr Donohoe is somewhat constricted due to Brexit, but tax revenue stood at over €40.7bn in the first nine months of the year, up by more than €3.2bn from the same period in 2018.

The exchequer recorded a surplus of €38m at the end of September and corporation tax receipts are 10.6% ahead of estimates.

Fianna Fáil, who have been in daily discussions with Mr Donohoe this week, are still unhappy with a number of areas in the budget and will be demanding more in the areas of health, housing, and Brexit contingency planning.

Fianna Fáil finance spokesman Michael McGrath and the party’s public expenditure spokesman, Barry Cowen, will publicly outline unresolved issues this morning before final talks with Mr Donohoe.

Meanwhile, the four members of the Independent Alliance met with Mr Donohoe yesterday evening. Transport Minister Shane Ross had to leave early to take questions in the Dáil, however, while OPW Minister Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran also left to attend a meeting on Storm Lorenzo.

The discussions were described by sources on both sides as “positive” and “constructive”. However, there is still some way to go, and the Alliance will meet the Finance Minister again on Sunday.

One Independent Alliance source raised concerns that Mr Donohoe, as in other years, could pull a rabbit out of the hat on budget day, and they are insisting on being fully informed ahead of Tuesday.

It is understood that junior minister for disability Finian McGrath still wants to see more on the table for people with disabilities and senior citizens.

However, Mr Moran will not be seeking more for his department, given the restrictions Brexit has put on the overall budget this year.

Mr Donohoe will hold bilateral meetings with various ministers today in a bid to tie down allocations for each department, but negotiations could go all the way up to the wire with the minister holding talks over the weekend and into Monday.

With an increasing focus on climate change, an environmental health charge on all new petrol and diesel cars is among the measures that are expected to be announced next week.

This would be on top of increases to carbon taxes, which have been the subject of intense negotiations between Fianna Fáil and the Government.