Vol. 436 No. 8
28 Mr. O'Malley asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade if he has satisfied himself that Bord Fáilte performs a useful function in the development and promotion of tourism; if it affords value for the public funds spent on it; and if he has considered alternative means of development and promotion for tourism, the present institutions having remained largely unchanged for many years.
34 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade if he will expand on recent newspaper comments attributed to him in which he is reported to have described Bord Fáilte as an independent republic; his views on whether Bord Fáilte has adequately discharged its functions; if not, the area in which this occurred; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 34 together.
I have expressed my dissatisfaction with certain aspects of the operation and administration of Bord Fáilte to both the Chairman and the chief executive of the board. I would like to make two points:
— Bord Fáilte has done excellent work over the years.
— My main concern is to get all strands to this industry, which has unparalleled potential, working as a cohesive unit. This applies from the policy making for which I am responsible as Minister for Tourism, to the executive agency responsibilities of Bord Fáilte, to the industry itself including investors, practitioners, community and voluntary groups. All of the developments I have undertaken since becoming Minister for Tourism spring from this singular objective. They include the reorganisation of tourism at county and regional level, to the setting up of Tourism Council, to the publication shortly of my plan for the next six years which will see the largest investment ever in Irish tourism.
Finally, I want to make it clear that I am prepared to look at new ways of doing business in Irish tourism. In particular, I want to see greater participation by people directly involved in the tourism business.
