Regarding Irish tourism, I am concerned about the figures that have come out for March. The number of inbound travellers is down and I would like to know what plan is in place to reverse this downward trend. The programme for Government clearly states a commitment to growing the tourism industry and I ask for strong action to support this growth. It is imperative that, as a Government, we continue to develop the offering of Ireland as an international tourism destination.

Last week, an individual went on worldwide media and claimed many things, including a ridiculous and untrue statement that County Wexford had no hotel beds available. This type of misinformation is damaging to our tourism industry and, in turn, could impact employment. I have no interest in this individual but my concern is the vast audience he is speaking to. I would like to put on the record that County Wexford has 1,000 hotel bedrooms available nightly and Wexford is open for business.

Wexford has always been open for business and has many high-quality hotels across the spectrum of accommodation. One of the great marketing steals of the century was the "sunny south east" logo, if I can call it a steal. It has stuck.

It is interesting. There seems to be some dispute between the industry and the CSO, which is unusual, in terms of the figures. Nonetheless, the Government has transferred tourism from the parent Department it was in and moved it into enterprise to perhaps have a greater coherence and complementarity in terms of the business end of it and also to try to create additional resources at an administrative level in terms of tourism policy. Fáilte Ireland is there and so on, so it has been a success story for quite a long time. We have to drill down into the figures and understand what is happening in the industry, and then respond with appropriate measures.

Kilkenny is also open for business. Last year, we got great news in the sunny south east region with the announcement of a new veterinary medicine programme to be established in the campus of Kildalton agricultural college in Piltown, County Kilkenny, a venue the Taoiseach visited with me last year. It brings with it a multimillion euro capital expenditure for Kildalton, which will be a huge boost to south Kilkenny, including Kilkenny's agri and education sectors, and a game-changer for veterinary students who no longer have to leave the region, and in many cases their country, to study veterinary medicine. There is a large shortage of qualified vets for farm animals and pets and a high demand for existing veterinary courses. As a Government, we need to prioritise the acceleration of accreditation by the Veterinary Council of Ireland through the inclusion of the new programme in the CAO listing in the 2025-26 year to provide for an annual intake of 40 students, commencing in September of next year.

Absolutely. It was a very impactful visit, if I say so myself, and very worthwhile.

Fantastic work is going on at Kildalton college. As the Deputy knows, Kildalton college will split the delivery of the programme with the Waterford campus of South East Technological University. Its engagement with the Veterinary Council of Ireland is currently ongoing in regard to the professional accreditation of these new programmes. This is a very significant programme for the south east region and nationally. There is a demand for veterinary places and many students are travelling abroad to study these courses. We want to get this up and running. There are issues around regulatory and curricular approval, staffing, equipment and lab facilities. All of them have to be open, so there is a tight timeline. I can assure the Deputy that I will speak to the Minister for higher education with a view to progressing this as quickly and effectively as possible.