Gov ban on staff could lead to no summer tours at Clonmacnoise

There are fears that the government ban on the recruitment of temporary staff may affect the availability of guided tours at Clonmacnoise this summer. South Roscommon Fine Gael Deputy Denis Naughten has called on Taoiseach Brian Cowen to directly intervene on this issue to ensure that the Department of Finance makes the necessary funding available to the OPW to go ahead with its recruitment plans for guides. He raised the matter directly with An Taoiseach and with the Minister for Tourism in the Dáil on Tuesday, seeking assurances that this valuable tourism service will be available this summer. 'It seems that a threat hangs over the provision of seasonal guides due to the Government public sector recruitment ban and the Taoiseach was not even prepared to provide a response on this issue in the Dáil. Earlier, the Minister for Tourism stated that he hoped the issue would be resolved,' said Deputy Naughten. He pointed out that many local tourism businesses rely on the spin-off from Clonmacnoise. 'This is an absolutely ludicrous situation; obviously I completely agree that we need to reduce costs but common sense must be applied in all situations. Offaly, Westmeath and Roscommon are hoping for a healthy tourist season to boost local businesses and the local economies generally. Working on behalf of the Government, Bord Failte is trying to encourage Irish people to holiday at home this year, yet can we seriously expect Irish people to visit these sites if they have to queue of hours to avail of a tour?,' he added.