Vol. 468 No. 4
793 Mr. Andrews asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the progress, if any, that has been made on bringing the Tour de France to Ireland; the obstacles that have been identified to bringing it to Ireland; and the Government's position on Ireland's participation in the event. [16001/96]
The promoters of the Tour de France are seeking funding amounting to £2 million from the Exchequer to allow them to start the 1998 tour in Ireland. While supportive in principle of the proposal, the scale of financial assistance required is unfortunately beyond the resources of my Department's Vote. Accordingly I am in contact with other Government Ministers whose areas of responsibility stand to gain from the promotional opportunities offered by the proposal. I am awaiting their views as to how the necessary funds might be secured before proceeding with further consideration of the proposal.
