David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 44: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the recommendations of the tourism review report which have to date been implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8256/06]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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The report of the tourism policy review group was published in September 2003. To give best effect to the implementation of the recommendations of the review group, I established a tourism action plan implementation group chaired by Mr. John Travers, who had chaired the tourism policy review group. The implementation group has already presented two formal reports to me, in August 2004 and April 2005.

I refer the Deputy to the April 2005 report of the group and in particular to page 2 where it states:

Overall, the Implementation Group is satisfied that the strategy for the development of Irish tourism set out in the New Horizons Report is being well advanced both by the industry itself and by Government. A preliminary analysis of the progress reported in relation to the original 76 recommendations by the Review Group has found that by the end of March 2005, 28 actions have been delivered, 7 more have been partially delivered and good progress was reported on a further 19 and that the pace of progress is unsatisfactory in the case of some 20 actions.

The full text of both reports are availableon my Department's website, www.arts-sports-tourism.gov.ie.

I am expecting to receive the group's third and final report shortly. It is my intention to bring it to Government and to publish it as soon as possible thereafter, as was done with the first two reports.