Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

All of the bodies are accountable to the various Ministers in the Department who are accountable to the Dáil. This afternoon, I have given a very full and frank explanation of all of the different bodies in place. Interestingly, we had a discussion earlier where I made the point that I was not minded to create new agencies and add to the myriad agencies we have and I do not intend to do that during my time in the Department.

There may well be an opportunity to look at closer co-operation between various agencies under the different aspects within the Department, be they tourism, sport and arts. This review is being completed by the Department of Finance. We have submitted all of the relevant information to it. As we go forward, we will look at all of those issues. I certainly want to ensure that the agencies are giving the full value for every euro they get on behalf of the taxpayer and I will continue to do so.

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