Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 374: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the breakdown of the cost categories of the funding claimed by a group (details supplied) in County Mayo; the work carried out by the group; the reason it did not prove possible for the work of the group to be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10557/06]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 375: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the members of a project group (details supplied) in County Mayo; the number of times this group have met and the dates on which they met and so on. [10558/06]

John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 374 and 375 together.

The Mullet Peninsula project group was set up in 2001, as a pilot initiative to devise a strategy for the development of sustainable marine based tourism in the Mullet Peninsula, County Mayo. The group, under the chairmanship of Mr. Liam Twomey of the National Aquarium of Ireland, included Ms. Anne Wilkinson of the Marine Institute; Mr. Sean O'Coistealbha of Údarás Na Gaeltachta; Mr. Martin Bradley of Ireland West Tourism; Mr. Tim Quinn of Leader and Mr. Peter Hynes of Mayo County Council.

I understand that the first formal meeting took place on 20 December 2001 and subsequent meetings were held on 30 January 2002, 28 February 2002 and 26 April 2002. The funding claimed by the Mullet Peninsula project group from the Department, which amounted to €4,471.59, included fees for the professional services of a heritage tourism consultant and travel and subsistence expenses. The chairman advised that the group undertook a survey of the derelict buildings on the peninsula with the purpose of examining whether an initiative could be devised to assist in upgrading these properties. The group identified a need to build an entrepreneurial culture with the assistance of a dedicated programme based on a model run previously by Shannon Development.

The chairman advised, in his final report to the Department in January 2004, that the existing and extensive body of work by Udarás na Gaeltachta and the local Leader office allied to recent development reports from Mayo County Council gave a clear picture of the prevailing position in the context of tourism and marine tourism in the locality. According to the chairman, there was nothing that the committee could have added to the volumes written on the subject.