I feel it is a matter for satisfaction that, apart from the differences of opinion that developed amongest us on the desirability of having this joint board to direct tourist publicity work, the Bill as a whole has been favourably received by the Dáil. If we are going to get the effective development of the tourist trade, it will be because there is no disagreement amongest any section as to the advisability of doing so. To a very great extent, the success of the development of the tourist industry depends upon our succeeding in convincing the people of this country that it is not merely practicable to develop that industry but also worth while doing so.
I realised there might be some risk in our having two separate organisations; an element of rivalry might develop amongest them. However, while I did not contemplate that rivalry as taking the form of any friction between the staffs any more than if these staffs were just separate parts of the organisation operated by one board, I thought there might be some disposition on behalf of each board to take over functions that might properly be the concern of the other and that there might be some pulling between them on that account. I have tried, in personal discussion with the boards, to make it clear, and, in order to remove any misconception that there was, put into the Bill a section which says that Fógra Fáilte will direct its publicity activities in accordance with the general policy of An Bord Fáilte—the board that is responsible for the major strategy of the campaign.
With regard to the Tourist Association, I invited the directors of the Tourist Association to regard themselves as having, apart from other functions, the responsibility of acting as critics of An Bord Fáilte, Fógra Fáilte and, if needs be, of the Minister for Industry and Commerce; to be ruthless in their criticism where they thought that that was required, either to stimulate these organisations into greater activity or correct any wrong trends that seemed to the Tourist Association to be developing in their work.
I asked them also to regard themselves as the channel by which the views and suggestions, criticisms and proposals of the public, and particularly of the local authorities from which they draw their main strength, would be conveyed to the Minister and to these official organisations.
I think that there is always a danger that statutory boards such as we are setting up here, such as we have under other legislation, may withdraw within themselves and have insufficient contact with the general body of the people and that it will be a help to these bodies here, just as it might be a help to other statutory boards, if they have regular contact with such an organisation as the Tourist Association, an organisation which has directors drawn from the local authorities and can hear from them what the public are thinking of them and their work. That is why I would hope that the Tourist Association would continue to function, would continue to get the support of the local authorities and so develop as to regard it as its major function in the scheme of things to stimulate public interest in this whole business of tourist development and then, by their contact with the public, act as the official critics of the statutory organisation. I think the Tourist Association have a useful job of work to do in that field and that, if they do that job of work, it will help the whole scheme of tourist development.