Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 9 Mar 1999

Vol. 501 No. 6

Written Answers. - EU Meetings.

Ruairí Quinn

Question:

373 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the name of the European Council of Ministers, if any, relevant to his Department; the number of council meetings he has attended since taking office; the number of meetings attended by an official or permanent representative in his absence; the number of meetings he has had with his equivalent European Ministers outside the Council of Ministers format since taking office; if officials from his Department meet regularly with Commission or other national officials; if so, the regularity with which they meet; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6733/99]

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation (Dr. McDaid)

The EU groupings directly relevant to the work of my Department are the Informal Councils of Tourism Ministers and of Sports Ministers, which have met on two occasions since I took office. The Minister of State at my Department, Deputy Flood, attended on my behalf.

Outside the Council of Ministers format, I have met all of my European counterparts informally when matters of mutual interest were discussed and officials from my Department meet regularly with Commission officials, particularly in the context of EU investment in the three Operational Programmes under the CSF (1994-1999) for which my Department has overall responsibility, namely Tourism, Local, Urban and Rural Development and the URBAN Initiative. There is also regular contact with the Commission at official level on the tourism aspects of the INTERREG programmes.

Meetings involving Commission officials, in connection with these programmes, take place regularly, often every four to six weeks. In addition, officials participate regularly at working group level on the EU's tourism action programme and on the EU doping initiative and officials also meet Commission officials as required.