Madam, - As a bed and breakfast operator I welcome your Editorial of September 1st, which supports the call for establishing a grading system for our sector.
Fáilte Ireland's reply was "that the jury is still out" on whether quality, grading and licensing are good for operators and consumers. What a lacklustre response in these difficult times when business is down.
Fáilte Ireland can no longer ignore this whole question, which represents the future for my business. Bed and breakfast operators like me want grading and our consumers have been seeking quality grading for years. So the jury is not out.
As bed and breakfast operators, we pay the cost of the current registration and inspection system through an individual charge. Why has Fáilte Ireland stated that cost is a factor when licensing and grading could work on the very same basis as at present. Or is this, perhaps, another excuse?
This is not the time for Fáilte Ireland to sit on the fence. The question is: will it now have the courage, albeit belatedly, to address quality and standards? On this point the jury is still out. - Yours, etc
DENIS J FAHEY,
Farrenwick Country House,
Poulmucka,
Curranstown,
Clonmel,
Co Tipperary.