Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

Fáilte Ireland was established under the National Tourism Development Authority Act 2003, following the amalgamation of Bord Fáilte Éireann and CERT. Its primary functions are the development of quality tourism product, domestic tourism marketing, tourism standards, enterprise support, capability building and human resource development for the tourism industry.

In December 1998, the parties to the Good Friday Agreement decided that a publicly owned limited company would be established by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Bord Fáilte Éireann to carry out functions related to the promotion of tourism to the island of Ireland. The company, Tourism Ireland Limited, was incorporated in December 2000. Tourism Ireland is accountable to the North South Ministerial Council, of which I am a member, with funding for its operations being provided by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland and my Department. The primary remit of the company is to promote the island of Ireland as a tourist destination in overseas markets. The company works closely with Fáilte Ireland, NITB, and the tourism industry in delivering its remit.

The close working relationship between the organisations is strengthened by the chief executive of Fáilte Ireland and the chair of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board both sitting on the board of Tourism Ireland. The Fáilte Ireland authority also meets the board of Tourism Ireland and the NITB to discuss issues of mutual interest. The chief executive of Tourism Ireland regularly attends the meetings of the Fáilte Ireland board on an observer basis. Furthermore, the chief executives and senior management teams in Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and the NITB, work hard to foster closer working relationships between the agencies.

Regarding any overlap in activities, the Government is of the view that it is important that all State agencies constantly review and monitor their operations to ensure that optimal returns are received for public investment. Subject to discussions with the relevant authorities in Northern Ireland, if there is scope for potential savings from eliminating any duplication between the relevant bodies, this will be pursued in the months ahead. I am aware that on the corporate side, the agencies in the South are already working to share services, where possible, with a view to driving economies, and so divert all available resources to programme areas.

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