John Brassil (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Is it appropriate for a Minister to interfere with the advertising campaigns of the tourism promotion agencies in this country? I believe it is not. Is the Taoiseach happy with a Minister making such an intervention? To put it in context, last year I and many of my constituency colleagues were seeking support for the Valentia-Renard ferry through a tourism grant from Fáilte Ireland.

The same Minister made it very clear that he could not interfere with the decision making process of Fáilte Ireland. Subsequently, the ferry service did not receive the necessary funding. If it is not appropriate to talk to Fáilte Ireland about funding processes, then neither is it appropriate to talk to it about its marketing campaigns. I ask the Taoiseach to distance himself from those remarks.

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