Vol. 495 No. 5
156 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the number of agencies or other State groups involved in extending or promoting tourism and who report directly to his Department; whether policies are initiated by agencies or groups or whether he or his Department give direction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20604/98]
161 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the number of agencies engaged in tourism and tourism promotion which receive funding from his Department in respect of their activities; the changes, if any, he is considering with regard to promotional policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20803/98]
I propose to answer Questions Nos. 156 and 161 together.
As Minister with responsibility for tourism, I, together with my Department, am responsible for the formulation and development of national tourism policy. This policy is, in turn, implemented by the main tourism agencies under my Department's remit, namely Bord Fáilte, CERT and Shannon Development. These agencies report directly to the Department which monitors their respective performance against policy objectives, including overall expenditure of grants-in-aid, from the Department's Vote. However, the agencies retain day-to-day responsibility for their expenditures and for the operation of schemes and services provided by them to the tourism industry. Further information about these bodies, together with the mission, goals and strategies of the Department are to be found in the Department's strategic management statement, 1997-1999, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas Library.
