Vol. 101 No. 8
I move:
That a sum not exceeding £23,000 be granted to complete the sum necessary to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending the 31st day of March, 1947, for a Grant-in-Aid of the Irish Tourist Board (No. 24 of 1939).
Could the Minister give us any idea why the expenses of this board have gone up so much in this Estimate?
Of course the staff of the board has been increased. I do not think it is right to say that the expenses have gone up.
The Vote is for £38,000. What is that sum for?
The expenses of the staff and of the officers of the board are all defrayed out of that. The board have two sources of revenue. This Vote is to defray the administration expenses. The repayable advances are for schemes in which they are engaged.
Is the main purpose of the Vote then to pay salaries?
To pay for salaries and administration expenses generally, office expenses, etc. A large part of it goes in salaries. Then there is also advertising.
Could the Minister say if any of this £38,000 will be used to pay for the expenses of the directors of Fáilte, Teoranta or Tráigh Mhór, Teoranta?
The directors of Fáilte, Teoranta, are acting without any remuneration.
Is that so?
So I am informed.
All the directors?
All the directors.
And the directors of Tráigh Mhór, Teoranta?
I think so. I think it is the same. I could not say off-hand.
I do not think the Articles of Association stipulate that. What the Articles of Association stipulate is that where a member of the Irish Tourist Board is acting as a director of one of these companies he will not get a separate fee. But I think the implication is that the other directors will.
I know that in the case of Fáilte, Teoranta, the directors agreed to act without fee, at any rate for the time being. Whether that situation will be changed later I do not know. None of this money, however, will go for that purpose. It is solely for the approved administration expenses of the board.
Surely there is an inference from the Articles of Association which state that the members of the Tourist Board are not to get a double salary, that the other members of the board will get a salary?
The other members of the board will not be precluded by the Articles of Association from getting fees. The position is that they have agreed to act without fees.
