Film Board move to Dublin denied

Fears that the Irish Film Board is to be moved from Galway back to Dublin have been dismissed by the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism.

However, the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Mr Ó Cuív, said yesterday that "uncertainty" had been created by a recent advertisement for a new chief executive for the board. The advertisement said that the board had "offices in Galway and Dublin", but made no mention of the fact that Galway is base for its headquarters.

This has angered film-makers in the west, who have made representations to the Minister for Arts, Mr O'Donoghue, this week on the issue.

Mr Ó Cuív said yesterday that any such move back to Dublin would be "totally contrary to Government policy" on decentralisation. "It would be absolutely ridiculous at this stage, just as the Government is proceeding with plans to decentralise agencies and Government departments, that some agency would consider moving its headquarters into the city [Dublin]," Mr Ó Cuív said.