Vol. 513 No. 1
498 Mr. Farrelly asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the reason the county tourism promotional company chairmen have been omitted from membership of the county development boards under the new proposals announced by the Government; the steps, if any, necessary to have this decision reversed due to their significance in their own counties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1551/00]
The new county-city development boards – CDBs – are being set up on foot of the recommendations of a task force on the integration of local government and local development systems. The membership of the boards is drawn up from local government, mainly councillors, local development agencies, State agencies operating locally and the social partners. To ensure a reasonable balance between political and executive representation, the task force believed that representation from the State agencies, into which tourism falls, should be at executive level. The regional tourism organisations, which will represent the tourism section, in practice have specific officers assigned at county level.
The task force also saw the CDBs building up their county-city strategies on economic, social and cultural development on the basis of particular themes, of which tourism would be one, and setting up appropriate sub-structures for this purpose. I have no doubt that there will be an important role for county tourism committees at this level.
