Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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420. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht his views on the Careers Oversight Group; the reason it has not met in over two years; if there are plans to reconvene the group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9314/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The Tourism and Hospitality Careers Oversight Group was established to support sustainable employment in the tourism and hospitality sector in order to attract and retain new and existing talent within the tourism and hospitality industry. The Department and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science are both participants in this group which brings together industry representatives, state agencies, Government Departments and the education sector.

The Department has a positive working relationship and very good engagement with industry on all matters including employment in the tourism and hospitality sector. In the last number of weeks my colleague, the Minister Peter Burke TD, in light of his role as the Minister who will have formal responsibility for Tourism once the function has been transferred to him by Government Order, has met with the Irish Hotels Federation and the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation and had meaningful and positive engagement, in addition to leading a tourism trade mission with Tourism Ireland to the USA.

An independent feasibility study was commissioned by my Department and completed last year in response to a number of concerns raised about the structure of the Tourism and Hospitality Careers Oversight Group and to the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee report entitled “Working conditions and skills shortages in Ireland’s tourism and hospitality sector”. Once Minister Burke has fully considered this report he will engage with the sector on its findings and on how best to advance the cause of sustainable and valuable careers within the sector.

In the meantime, Departmental officials will continue to address any issues as they arise and Minister Burke has asked them to look at how best the ongoing engagement with the sector can yield strategic insights on how best to grow sustainable employment in the tourism and hospitality sector.