Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 375: To ask the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport if she will provide a table of attendance of tourism Ministers, junior Ministers or officials at each of the Education, Youth and Culture Councils in the past three years, or at any other Council meetings related to arts, tourism, sports or culture; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20520/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The requested information in respect of formal meetings of the Council of the European Union for the past three years is as set out in tabular form as follows.

Tourism issues are normally dealt with by the Competitiveness Council which my colleague, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation attends.

Since my appointment as Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport in March this year, there was one formal meeting of the Education, Youth and Culture Council which I was entitled to attend on 10th May 2010. I had planned to attend this meeting but unfortunately I was unable to do so due to pressing domestic tourism commitments relating to the volcanic ash disruption. As set out above the Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union, Brussels deputised on my behalf at this meeting.

For the Deputy's information, I participated in an ad hoc video conference with EU Tourism Ministers on 28th April to discuss the impact on tourism business across the EU as a result of the volcanic ash disruption.