Arising from the Minister's statement that he accepts the Price Waterhouse report, how does he envisage funding the marketing functions in future? In the context of a significant cut in the State's budget for marketing, is it envisaged that the funding for marketing will come from private sources? With regard to product development, does the Minister not agree that the abolition of An Foras Forbartha is widely perceived as diminishing our capacity to sell the clean product type of tourism? I ask, who will fund the marketing function given the cuts and whether the abolition of An Foras Forbartha will damage the concept of clean tourism?

I think there is another question down about funding which we may reach later. My Department have indicated to Bord Fáilte that it must make adjustments because of the reduction in its budget, but that the promotion and marketing area should be kept intact. We are also expecting an increase in funding from private interests. Finally, while my Department do not have responsibility for An Foras Forbartha I have been assured by the Minister concerned that the functions performed by An Foras Forbartha will be performed by certain sectors in other Departments. I assure Deputies that they will be kept on their toes as far as tourism is concerned as long as I am Minister for Tourism and Transport.

The Price Waterhouse report states that insufficient resources have traditionally been allocated to tourism and that it is absolutely critical that the Department be provided with the resources to assume the responsibilties proposed in the plan. Can the Minister say how he proposes to get the resources necessary to develop the industry?

If the Deputy had read the Price Waterhouse report carefully she would have seen that Ireland spends from Exchequer resources a very high percentage compared with other countries.

The returns are very bad for tourism.

We in Ireland — the list is available and may be studied — have been spending at State level a considerably higher percentage than most other countries in the world.

Ineffectively.

In the stringent circumstances in which we find ourselves we are compelled to cut back. My Department have instructed Bord Fáilte not to cut back on promotion and advertising abroad. We are hopeful, and judging by the bona fides we have met already, that the industry will invest more in tourism development in the future. We hope that the local authorities, which Deputy Sherlock mentioned, will continue to subscribe to the regional development organisations at the present rate or at an even higher rate.

Does the Minister not agree that it creates a very false picture to say we spend the same as other countries? The Minister is correct when he says so in terms of our national figure; however, our regional spending bears no comparison with other countries. Our overall budget spending on tourism——

The Deputy is making an assertion.

——is remarkably low because we do not have additional regional spending. Therefore, it is wrong to suggest——

The Deputy has a point and I am sure that as a member of a local authority he will use his influence to encourage them to provide more money for the development of tourism.

Out of what?

Natural wealth.