Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister for his detailed reply and his invitation to both Deputy Wall and I to the launch of the Lansdowne Road project, of which we were supportive. In light of the recent fire on the northern terrace, does the Minister agree the stadium is on borrowed time and could be described as an aging stadium? In reality, there is only one stand — the east — as the west stand and both terraces require substantial overhauls, hence the urgency of sustaining momentum. In light of what happened at Lansdowne Road last week, it may be an opportune time to approach Croke Park in order to negotiate the possibility of holding future soccer home internationals there. Perhaps the Minister could influence that decision at this time.

The Minister launched the project and has studied the design. Will he confirm that he would consider the design to be sympathetic to the constraints of the site and reflective of local residents' concerns? It is obvious that, when the stadium will eventually get planning permission, an appeal will be made to An Bord Pleanála, which could go even further. In anticipation of this, does the Minister believe it to be a good idea to establish an umbrella group composed of the various stakeholders and residents to examine problems in order that the planning process can be expedited and no delays will occur on the planning decision for this important national project? Will the Minister inform the House of the contributions of the IRFU and FAI in respect of the increased estimate for the stadium?

See this speech in context