'Folk memory' lost in tourism move to Kerry

“FOLK MEMORY” was lost when only six of the 109 people employed at the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport transferred to Killarney as part of the Government’s decentralisation programme, its general secretary has said.

At the Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture and Sport yesterday, Con Haugh said the vast majority of staff now working in the department’s Killarney office had transferred from other departments.

Only “half a dozen” had transferred from Dublin, he said.

Mr Haugh, who is due to retire shortly after 43 years in the public service, said because decentralisation was managed slowly, the new staff were now “up to speed”, but “an amount of folk memory” was lost in the move.

Scrutinising the effects of the December Budget on the departments, TDs at the committee called for Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary to explain how he would deliver the six million visitors he promised on condition that the €10 travel tax was revised.

Mr O’Leary made the promise in advance of last year’s Budget. Travel tax was subsequently reduced to €3 by the Government after visitor numbers to Ireland dropped by 15 per cent last year.

Fianna Fáil Senator Paschal Mooney said Mr O’Leary was “a tremendous innovator and pioneer”, for whom he had “great respect”, but he should be invited in to the committee and he should be asked “where are the six million?”

Fine Gael TD Frank Feighan said the €10 tax was “ludicrous” and had done untold damage. Even €3 was too much, Mr Feighan said.