Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 22 May 1940

Vol. 80 No. 8

Committee on Finance. - Vote 70—Irish Tourist Board.

Mr. MacEntee

I move:—

Go ndeontar suim ná raghaidh thar £6,000 chun slánuithe na suíme is gá chun íoctha an Mhuirir a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh lá de Mhárta, 1941, chun Deontas-i-gCabhair ar Bhord Chuartaíochta na hEireann (Uimh. 24 de 1939).

That a sum not exceeding £6,000 be granted to complete the sum necessary to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending 31st March, 1941, for a Grant-in-Aid of the Irish Tourist Board (No. 24 of 1939).

Mr. Cosgrave

Has the Minister anything to say on this Estimate?

Mr. MacEntee

The House will remember that, shortly before the close of the last financial year, I introduced a Supplementary Estimate, and that, in the course of my statement introducing the Estimate, I gave a rather comprehensive review of what the Tourist Board hoped to do, and of the manner in which it proposed to utilise the present abnormal period to lay the foundations for an active and comprehensive programme of development as soon as peace was restored in Europe. Since then the board has been operating upon the lines which I then set before the House, and there has been no further significant development in relation to it.

Mr. Cosgrave

Is the money going to be spent in the present period?

Mr. MacEntee

Well, we hope so.

Mr. Cosgrave

Is the Minister recommending that course, having regard to the present situation?

Mr. MacEntee

I think the Deputy will recall that the main purpose of this was to make a comprehensive review, to prepare plans to lay, as I have said, the foundations for future development during this period, so that we might not allow time to be completely wasted. The activities of the board are, of course, going to be very much curtailed. I think the original provision for the requirements of the board was in the order of £40,000 or £45,000, while the total provision we are making in this year is £9,000. The board is taking a much more active part in the formulation of plans, and in a general investigation, than was originally stated. The staff is being kept down to a minimum. Only persons with the appropriate technical qualifications will be employed on the work.

General Mulcahy

Will the Minister say whether it is proposed that tourists will be allowed indiscriminately to enter the country during the present year?

Mr. MacEntee

If I may say so, that is a matter for the Department of Justice. From my point of view, the more that will come the better, but that is a matter which will call for some co-ordination between ourselves and the other Government Departments concerned, as to whether we shall endeavour to regulate the entry of tourists into the country.

Vote put and agreed to.