John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 and 34 together.

The staging of the Olympic Games in London in 2012 will offer this country some great opportunities in the fields of tourism and sport, as well as in the wider business area. As a nation, Ireland must be prepared to take full advantage of its proximity to this event. As I have already indicated, I intend to establish an interagency group to oversee the development of a planned approach to ensure that such opportunities are maximised. Since the announcement last July that London was selected as the host city, I have availed of numerous opportunities to outline Ireland's eagerness to play a useful role and to be closely associated with the games. When I met David Hanson MP, Northern Ireland's Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure, we discussed the opportunities for Northern Ireland and the Republic to benefit through mutual co-operation from the games. We will keep channels of communication open relating to our respective strategies around London 2012 and we are committed to close co-operation in this matter. I have also discussed the situation with Richard Caborn MP, the British Minister for Sport, who has warmly welcomed the approach being undertaken on an all-island basis here in Ireland.

The General Assembly of the European Olympic committees held in Dublin last month was another opportunity to promote Ireland's potential in regard to the games. It was attended by leading figures from World and European Olympic organisations, including the president of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge. It was also attended by the successful London bid team and its chairman, Lord Sebastian Coe. This major conference afforded a unique opportunity to draw the early attention of this highly influential group to the many services which Ireland can offer to Olympic squads from around the world. I take this opportunity to congratulate the president of the Olympic Council and his colleagues for hosting this conference which was of immense importance and brought great prestige to Ireland.

Clearly there are opportunities in the fields of sport around pre-tournament training for many of the countries participating. There will also be a tourism dimension for tournament visitors. In addition, there may be a number of sporting events in the years leading up to 2012 that could yield similar opportunities. The supply of economic services to London 2012 may also be another significant area of opportunity for which Irish business interests might benefit.

Given the lead-in time to 2012, there is scope to identify the precise nature of sports and ancillary facilities required by visiting countries to plan ahead. The type of facilities required by competing teams would be along the lines of those envisaged in the proposals for a sports campus at Abbotstown and existing to a certain degree in the University of Limerick. We are aware that 25 Olympic medals have been won by spokespersons from abroad who have used the existing facilities in Limerick.

The funding provided in December's budget, will allow work to commence in 2006 on the first phase of the Abbotstown sports campus to be completed by 2010. Complementing this are proposals currently under consideration for an Irish institute of sport, to deliver optimal support services for Olympic and Paralympic athletes and sports. These developments together with the ongoing provision of substantial funding for sports facilities at national and regional level under the sports capital programme will ensure that Ireland is on track to provide state-of-the-art facilities for sports men and women to train and prepare for competition at the highest level.

The Government will continue to invest significant funding in Irish sport which has already seen in excess of €500 million provided since 1997 for the development of sporting facilities. This funding has helped to develop facilities of international standard for many sports, including swimming, diving, rowing, hockey, tennis, basketball, boxing and athletics, and many of these facilities will be availed of in a structured way in the lead-up to the 2012 games.

From a tourism perspective, Ireland stands to gain significantly from the London Olympics in 2012. Our proximity and ease of access to the main venue, with our traditional selling points as a tourism destination — our people, culture and scenery — should make a stay in Ireland a very compelling proposition for both spectators and participants alike. There are points in Ireland which will have a closer proximity to the London games and greater ease of access than many parts of Britain.

Tourism Ireland as an all-island body will seek to maximise the tourism benefits of the Olympics to the island as a whole. In the lead-up to the event, Tourism Ireland will identify key opportunities in our overseas markets aimed at both competitors and spectators. This could include publicity messages in relevant markets should Ireland be successful in attracting countries for pre-training. The agency will work closely with Visit Britain, particularly in our new and developing markets and North America, to maximise awareness of Ireland as a close neighbour to the United Kingdom.

See this speech in context