Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 9: To ask the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport his views on the overlap of activity between Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland, with a view to ensuring the maximum return from our investment in these agencies. [6150/11]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 13: To ask the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport his plans to ensure that Fáilte Ireland and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board co-operate closely and ensure that all of their strategies are proofed with a view to taking an all-Ireland approach. [6203/11]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 13 together.

Fáilte Ireland was established under the National Tourism Development Authority Act 2003, following the amalgamation of Bord Fáilte Éireann and CERT, to encourage, promote and support tourism. 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.

Tourism was specifically designated as an area for co-operation under the Good Friday Agreement. In December 1998, the parties to the Agreement decided that a publicly owned limited company would be established by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and the then Bord Fáilte Éireann to carry out functions related to the promotion of tourism to the island of Ireland. The company, Tourism Ireland Limited, was formally incorporated on 11 December 2000. Tourism Ireland is accountable to the North South Ministerial Council with funding for its operations being provided by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland and by the Department with responsibility for tourism in the South. 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, the Northern Ireland Tourism Board and the tourism industry in delivering its remit. I am aware that the report of the tourism renewal group, which was published in October 2009, noted that in the course of a very wide-ranging consultation across the sector, general satisfaction at the performance and delivery of the primary State sector tourism agencies, namely, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, was a consistent theme.

The close working relationship between the organisations is strengthened by the fact that the chief executive of Fáilte Ireland and the chair of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board both sit on the board of Tourism Ireland. The Fáilte Ireland authority also meets the board of Tourism Ireland and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board on an ongoing basis to discuss issues of mutual interest on tourism. I also understand that the chief executive of Tourism Ireland regularly attends the meetings of the Fáilte Ireland board on an observer basis. The chief executives and senior management teams in Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board work hard to foster even closer working relationships between the agencies. This includes joint preparation of marketing programmes. I am satisfied these contacts ensure each agency's strategies, plans and activities take appropriate account of the all-Ireland dimension of the tourism strand of the Good Friday Agreement, although the Deputy should be aware that I have no remit in relation to the formal approval of the strategies of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.

With regard to any overlap in activities, the Government believes it is important that all State agencies constantly review and monitor their operations to ensure optimal returns are received for public investment. In this regard and subject to discussions with the relevant authorities in Northern Ireland as appropriate, 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 working to share services where possible with a view to driving economies for the agencies and so divert all available resources to programme areas.