I welcome the positive news for the tourism sector in the figures published by the Central Statistics Office, CSO, which show that there was a record number of tourists to the country last year. There were approximately 10.6 million visitors, with significant increases from the North American market. This is important because tourism is a critical part of the economy. With this in mind, I ask that we invite the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to the House, particularly to debate how we might keep the momentum going but also to debate the potential ramifications and proposals to curtail the operation of Airbnb. It is not an issue that we debate often. I believe Airbnb has played a significant role in encouraging tourists to come to the country and making accommodation available. There is a need for a full debate on the matter.

Obviously, Brexit is of grave concern, as is the potential further fall in the value of sterling arising from it and the spending power of visitors from the British market in coming here. I note that the increase in number of visitors from Britain this year was only 1%. It was one of the lowest growth figures for tourism, which is disappointing. The most important element, which I welcome, is the progress made and the level of growth in the tourism sector.

There are rural areas which are underdeveloped and have considerable tourism potential. The challenge for Tourism Ireland and the different agencies given the responsibility to develop tourism is to go to areas such as north Mayo which has considerable potential on the Wild Atlantic Way. Once one hits Westport, one is not as inclined to travel north of it. The Minister must ensure there is proper promotion of these areas that need a boost and put in proper tourism infrastructure, by which I mean tourist information offices. For example, in Ballina the tourist office is run on a shoestring and needs further support to be run in the professional manner necessary to support the region. These are pertinent issues because tourism is often one of the few alternatives for employment in rural areas. I ask the Leader to look at this as something with which we might deal in early course with the Minister.

As this is strike day, I am hardly going to talk about anything else. This morning I have been around in the cold but crisp sunshine to Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, St. James's Hospital, both the Rialto entrance and James's Street entrance, and the Coombe hospital on Cork Street. I visited all three and plan to visit some more later.

I think back to 20 years ago. In 1999 I was part of a strike committee, the national nurses strike committee. It took us nine days and nine nights in a row out on the picket line to get the Government to eventually sit down and talk, to realise it needed to be proactive, to understand and work out how to retain, recruit and keep nurses in hospitals looking after the patients. This is the first day of the strike and there are many more planned. I hope it will not take as long - nine days and nine nights - for the Minister and the Department to come to their senses and sit down with nurses. The spirits are high. The public is behind them, despite the spin from Fine Gael and the fourth estate. Listening to RTÉ's Marian Finucane on Sunday and the different radio shows, it was the same old same old, but the public is 82% supportive in the latest poll. Certainly, there was support this morning, with neighbours coming out with tea and buns for the nurses on the picket lines. I hope there will be a resolution of this strike quicker than in 1999.

Like many others, I visited the picket lines this morning in support of the nurses and midwives at Holles Street Hospital. The reason for the striking level of public support for the strikers is people understand this is not simply an issue for some workers but about decent standards and safety for the nurses, front-line staff and patients. It is about ensuring the lifeblood of the health system - nurses - are able and supported to work in decent conditions. That is something that is important for every citizen. People recognise and are in solidarity with the nurses for that reason.

It is unfortunate that we have seen Brexit being thrown up as a reason for not taking action. We should note that it will not be acceptable to use this as the card repeatedly in areas of action. Unless there is a moratorium on increases in the cost of living, rent and the considerable costs nurses carry to live and work in towns and cities, one cannot ask them to continue to live on wages and work in conditions that are inadequate. The UK has been an issue in nursing because we have lost so many nurses to it. We have lost nurses to places all over the world because we are not addressing the decency of conditions they need. I urge the Government to take an active and creative role in seeking solutions and engaging.

In fact, I wish engagement had been intensified in the past month. I go further and remind the Government that just a few weeks ago we commemorated the democratic programme of the First Dáil. We talked about the role of the Government in seeking co-operation from the governments of all other countries to determine standards of social and industrial legislation which consistently improves. We can engage with other countries such as Hungary. I note that another great advocate for workers' rights, Luke Kelly, is being celebrated today by the city of Dublin with the unveiling of two statues. He sang "School Days Over", "Springhill Mine Disaster" and "Joe Hill" and it is wonderful to see him being marked, in particular, in the year after his brother, another wonderful workers' activist, Mr. Jimmy Kelly, a great personal friend of mine and many others, passed away. It is a strong reminder of where people from the ground up stand on workers' rights. I commend Luke Kelly, as I commend the strikers.

I have waited to the end to hear all of the contributions, but it is interesting to note that not one contributor outlined from where the €300 million would come. What service do they want the Government to cut?

Take it from the budget for the national children's hospital. There is an extra €1 billion available.

The Government does not pay anyone. It is the taxpayer who pays and there is only a certain amount of money that comes in in taxation. I have met nurses who have returned from Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and the USA and their biggest complaints about pay and conditions here fall under three headings, one of which is the level of taxation. One can earn up to £50,000 in the United Kingdom before reaching the higher tax rate. In Ireland the figure is €35,500. The second issue they raise is non-recognition of further education, one the Department and the HSE must tackle immediately. It is a key issue to be addressed in the context of allowances and time allowed. The third issue is overtime and hours owing, but it is not being followed through. In other words, it is not about overtime but about being given an allowance for hours owing, something which is not taken into account and about which a lot of nurses are very unhappy. Another issue is the huge deficiency in managerial skills in hospitals. I refer to the management of issues as they arise. One example I have come across in the past week or two involves nurses who have been threatened within emergency departments, with no sufficient action taken to provide adequate security for them. The people who cause these difficulties are attending to receive care or are the individuals who accompany them. They also have a responsibility. If we want people to work in front-line services, we must provide adequate security for them. I criticise management for failing to act appropriately in some areas. While there are issues which must be dealt with, there is also the issue of how it will be paid for. The last thing we need is to see a recurrence of what happened in the years between 2000 and 2008 when there were consistent increases in salaries and wages which meant that when the downturn came, we were unable to manage. If one allows this problem to fester, it will spread across the entire public sector. It is something that needs to be dealt with.