Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism (Ireland)

The Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism ( _ga. An Roinn Ealaíon Spóirt agus Turasóireachta) is a department of the Government of Ireland. The mission of the department is to contribute to the economic, social and cultural progress of Irish society and the enrichment of its quality of life through promoting sustainable tourism; encouraging excellence in sporting and artistic achievement; facilitating greater access to sport and the arts; and preservation of Ireland's cultural inheritance. It is led by the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism.

Departmental Team

The official headquarters and Ministerial offices of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism are in Kildare Street, Dublin 2. The department also has offices in South Frederick Street in Dublin and in the village of Fossa near Killarney, County Kerry. The departmental team consists of the following:
*Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism: Martin Cullen, TD
**Minister of State for the Arts: Martin Mansergh, TD

*Secretary General of the Department: Con Haugh

Overview

In carrying out its mandate the department undertakes a variety of functions including:

*formulation, development and evaluation of policy and structures to promote and foster the practice and appreciation of the creative and interpretative arts and to encourage the development of the Irish film industry
*enabling the national cultural institutions to preserve and protect Ireland's moveable heritage and cultural assets
*formulation, development and evaluation of sport policy
*overseeing major sports projects
*facilitating the continued development by the tourism industry of an economic and environmentally sustainable and spatially balanced tourism sector
*creating an environment enabling the National Cultural Institutions to flourish through the provision of financial resources and an appropriate policy framework

History

The "Minister for Economic Planning & Development" was created by the [http://193.178.1.79/1977_27.html Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act, 1977] . The title was renamed "Minister for Energy" [http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZSI12Y1980.html by order] in 1980 and again [http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZSI16Y1993.html in 1993] the title changed to " Minister for Tourism and Trade". Several more title changes occurred, the current title was created on 6 June 2002 with the formation of the Government of the 29th Dáil. The department is primarily charged with policy-making in the areas of Arts, Sport, Tourism and Culture.

Over the years its name has changed several times, however, the role of the department has remained the same. The department has been known as the following:

*Department of Economic Planning and Development (1977–1980)
*Department of Energy (1980–1981)
*Department of Industry and Energy (1981–1983)
*Department of Energy (1983–1993)
*Department of Tourism & Trade (1993–1997)
*Department of Tourism, Sport & Recreation (1997–2002)
*Department of Arts, Sport & Tourism (2002–present)

External links

* [http://www.arts-sport-tourism.gov.ie/ Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism]