A meeting convened at Leinster House yesterday to discuss the crisis in the tourism industry in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the US had to be abandoned after too few TDs and senators turned up.
Fine Gael and Labour blamed Fianna Fβil for the embarrassing episode which resulted in top executives of Bord Fβilte and the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation, who had been invited to make presentations on the crisis facing the industry, having to go home almost as soon as they arrived.
One of the delegates, Mr Brendan Leahy, chief executive of the Tourist Industry Confederation, said he regarded it as a very important meeting and was disappointed it did not take place. He feared the meeting would not be reconvened for some time.
He said members of his organisation would not be happy because time was running out to impress on public representatives the importance of a number of measures being taken to assist the industry between now and the end of the year.
"We were anxious to inform them as quickly as possible of the crisis in the industry and had prepared in depth for it," he said.
The meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Tourism, Sport and Recreation was due to take place at 2 p.m. but after 15 minutes it was adjourned because a quorum was not present.
The Minister for Tourism, Dr McDaid, had a scheduled late arrival at the meeting but it was over when he got there.
The committee chairperson, Labour TD Ms Breeda Moynihan Cronin, said she was extremely disappointed that not one of the 10 Fianna Fβil members of the committee could be present. It was the only party not represented, she said. A spokesman for Fianna Fβil said it was the responsibility of the chairperson to ensure a quorum was present.