§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 7 November (WA167–170), whether Tourism Ireland is an implementation body; if not, why it was included in the Written Answer; under what legislation it was set up; what its relationship is to the cross-border implementation bodies; and whether it is a government agency. [HL256]
§ Lord Williams of MostynTourism Ireland Limited (TIL) is not an implementation body. Following the decision of NSMC that tourism would be an area of co-operation within the remit of the North/South Ministrial Council, TIL was established as a publicly-owned limited company under companies legislation in the Republc of Ireland to discharge that function. The Memorandum and Articles of Association of TIL were subsequntly approved by NSMC in October 2000. TIL has no formal relationship with the implementation bodies, but is linked to the NSMC through its Memorandum and Articles of Association. The previous Written Question asked about cross-Border bodies set up under the provisions of Strand 2 of the Belfast Agreement, and although TIL is not an implementation body it was included in the Answer because it is a body operating on a cross-Border basis and it was set up under the agreement. TIL is not a government agency.