IVAN Yates is absolutely right when he calls for the appointment of a “tourism tsar” (Irish Examiner, Feb 4).

CEANN Comhairle John O’Donoghue was at his desk meeting constituents yesterday – but has yet to comment publicly on his recent expenses controversy.

UNDER-fire Dáil Ceann Comhairle John O’Donoghue yesterday refused to explain how he and his wife had run up massive luxury travel bills footed by the taxpayer.

YOU could be forgiven for calling it an Bord Snip & Tuck if the slash and burn plans for Sports, Arts & Tourism and Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs are anything to go by.

FIGURES recently released by the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that minister Martin Cullen and three officials ran up a staggering €67,000 bill during a three-week trip to Beijing for the Olympic Games last summer.

A FORMER tánaiste and a number of ex-ministers are on the Government panel from which the six major banks and building societies covered by the guarantee scheme are to select additional board members.

INDEPENDENT bookmakers around the country will close as a result of the shock rise in betting tax from 1% to 2%, say bookies’ representatives.

PARTICIPATION in sports is generally increasing, according to a new report, but “much more quickly” for individual sports such as swimming, jogging and exercise rather than team sports like Gaelic football, hurling, soccer, and rugby.

SLIGO ROVERS FC yesterday issued a fresh appeal to save the stricken club, the eircom Premier Division outfit pointing out that it needed to match a weekly financial commitment of €17,000 just to stay afloat.

Tallaght Stadium, the new home of Shamrock Rovers, is to receive €825,000 from the RAPID Sports Capital grant fund.

A WEALTHY American couple, which supports the Vatican museum and has donated to the British Labour Party, plans to give almost €400,000 to help build a new arts centre in west Cork.

The Government’s failure to set adequate legal limits for the Irish gambling industry is tarnishing all operators and disregarding the problem of addiction, writes Claire O’Sullivan.

A DUBLIN GAA club has failed in its legal challenge to overturn the decision that the new Shamrock Rovers stadium in Tallaght should be developed as a soccer-only venue.

FOUR of the biggest landowners in Cork’s sprawling docklands confirmed last night they have combined to drive forward the region’s multibillion regeneration.

A HUGE facelift is planned for the old boatyard site in An Daingean.

IRELAND’S artistic hotbed of south Kerry figures prominently in the list of areas to benefit from substantial new arts funding.

THE Government’s handling of the Bord na gCon affair has degenerated into total farce, Labour leader Pat Rabbitte said yesterday.

SPORTS Minister John O’Donoghue yesterday hinted the report into recent controversies in the greyhound industry may take longer than initially anticipated.

CULTURE Ireland yesterday announced €1 million in funding for groups promoting Irish arts and culture abroad.

RTE dramas like successful rural show Pure Mule boosted the spend on independent TV productions in Ireland by 25% in 2004, figures showed today.

THE ORGANISERS of one of the country’s premier summer festivals say they’re going to squeeze every euro they can out of government coffers, ahead of the international event.

The great musical legacy of Sean O’Riada will live on for many generations to come, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said today as he received the entire O’Riada collection on behalf of the nation.

A LONG-AWAITED report advising how to deal with a Viking settlement discovered as part of works on a by-pass of Waterford city has been delayed until September, Environment Minister Martin Cullen admitted yesterday.

BÓRD na gCon has approved ‘in principle’ €250,000 for hare coursing from its annual €12m grant from the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism.

An independent film producer has claimed the State is making more than it is losing when films are made in Ireland.

Representatives of the Irish film industry are due before the Oireachtas finance committee today to explain their opposition to the abolition of the industry’s lucrative tax incentives.

COMMUNITY and local authority sports projects costing more than €300m have been put on hold because of a lack of Government funding.