Vol. 497 No. 5
321 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the specific directions, if any, he has given in relation to tourism policy here or abroad in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25834/98]
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.
The overall policy objectives which I have approved for my Department are set out in the Department's Strategic Management Statement, 1997-99, copies of which are available in the Library. As Minister, of course, I have on an ongoing basis, contact with officials of my Department and the agencies regarding a full range of issues relating to tourism policy, with a focus, in particular, on the specific commitments in relation to tourism set out in the Government's An Action Programme for the Millennium.
