Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)

Can the Minister clarify that he is no longer in favour of having county tourism committees? That seems to be the thrust of his reply, especially the conclusion of that reply. There is much uncertainty as regards the future of county tourism committees. Some of these operated very effectively and our county had an effective committee. Last year it put in place a map of the county, which the Minister will no doubt launch in the new year. It was a representative group, and I am sure the Minister will agree that many of the decisions that affect tourism and are put in place locally are made by local authorities. These include decisions such as signposting, roads, the provision of sanitation measures and, most importantly, the control of pollution and litter. If the Minister is dismissing the role of local authorities and the local tourism committees, it will weaken our overall product and structures.

In view of the importance of county tourism authorities, will the Minister appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers, or another consultancy, to examine the future and structures of local tourism committees in the same way in which it examined the RTAs? This could determine how the local committees could integrate with the regional tourism development authorities. Decisions will be made by the regional tourism development authorities that can be put in place at national levels, but important decisions will also have to be put in place at local level. I can see a role for the local tourism committees putting in place decisions made by the regional authority.

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