Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Winning the bid and bringing the Rugby World Cup to Ireland in 2023 would be a hugely positive achievement and opportunity. That is not the focus of today's discussion. The purpose of this meeting is to drill down into the questions and answers that were perhaps skimmed over when the emergency legislation was rushed through the House. According to the Minister's statement, Rugby World Cup Limited has provided bidders with an indicative budget of €200 million and the Irish bid is in the region of that figure. That budget includes the cost of operating the tournament and providing for stadia upgrades. Stadia upgrades implies that the taxpayer and the State will be improving facilities that are not owned by the State. Is it the Minister's intention to gift that money or to get it back in full or in part? Will organisations other than the State potentially financially benefit from upgrades of a different character?

I welcome that all Irish matches will be broadcast free to air, as should be the case for all matches. During the Dáil debate on this issue I said that no lover of rugby or person who wants to bring his or her son or daughter to the games should be excluded because he or she does not have big wads of money in his or her pocket and that ticket prices must be fair, affordable, reasonable and inclusive. I understand that the Minister cannot give fine detail of ticket prices at this stage because they are tied up with the bid but how does he square the circle when there is surely a perverse incentive for high ticket prices? If the €200 million outlay is to be recouped chiefly through ticket sales, it could point in the direction of higher ticket prices in order for that to be done. How does the Minister square that circle? Can he be more specific in relation to approximate prices? He said in the Dáil that prices will be more reasonable than for Rugby World Cup 2015 but all members know that ticket prices for that event were very much on the high side and, in some cases, astronomical.

The Minister's statement that he will pitch ticket prices lower than they were at Rugby World Cup 2015 is not much of a guarantee. Will he be more specific and indicative?

This initiative must have a long-term legacy benefit to the State and rugby, which should be visible in public transport, broadband and, in particular, the clubs which nourish the grassroots of the game. Apart from the buzz, the feel-good factor and the level of interest, will the Minister indicate how the clubs will receive concrete benefits from the Rugby World Cup should Ireland win the competition to stage it as opposed to winning the competition per se, although I hope we will do that also?