John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."

It gives me great pleasure to address the House on the occasion of the Second Reading of the National Sports Campus Development Authority Bill 2006. The Bill before the House provides for the establishment of the National Sports Campus Development Authority, which will succeed in function and responsibility the present limited company, Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Limited, known as CSID, and continue the role of overseeing, planning and developing a sports campus at Abbotstown.

Sport is our great national passion and involvement in sport provides a source of well-being and emotional outlet for people of every age and from every corner of the country. It is a great character builder and acts as an antidote to anti-social behaviour. Beyond the intrinsic value of participation in sport, it is also a key element in social and economic life. Active participation in competitive or recreational sport contributes enormously to the physical and mental well-being of the individual and, by extension, the whole community and nation. Success at national and international competition creates a sense of pride, excites interest and raises morale. Involvement in sport creates a sense of unity and identity for communities, towns and villages in every part of the country. The achievements of our top competitors and the hard work, commitment and dedication which lie behind their success all serve to inspire, encourage and raise the spirits of us all. Young people in particular need role models and heroes who will inspire and encourage them.

Sports funding for 2006 exceeds €243.295 million, with the Irish Sports Council budget increased to €40.9 million, the local authority swimming pools and sports capital programmes allocated €100 million and the horseracing and greyhound industries receiving €70.1 million. An amount of €20 million is provided in my Department's Vote for 2006 for the IRFU-FAI led project for the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road stadium, to which the Government has agreed to provide funding of €191 million, phased over five years.

The Government has spent more than €750 million on sport since 1997. Between 1998 and 2004, a total of almost €331 million was allocated to more than 4,721 projects throughout the country under the sports capital programme. Under the local authority swimming pools programme, 18 swimming pool projects have been completed since 2000 and many more are under way at locations throughout the country. The annual sports budget has increased from €17 million in 1997 to €243.295 million in 2006.

We have made considerable progress in bringing our sporting infrastructure into line with best international standards. I am particularly pleased that substantial funding continues to be made available for continued investment in sports facilities in order that, at last, we will have modern well equipped and well managed sporting facilities. The enactment of the Bill and the development of the Abbotstown sports campus will contribute to the provision of modern, well equipped and well managed sporting facilities which will attract many more people into sport.

On the Abbotstown sports campus, the House will recall that in January 2004 the Government decided to proceed with the development of a campus of sports facilities at Abbotstown. Having consulted widely with the major governing bodies of sport, stakeholders and interest groups, CSID, the company charged with developing the project, drew up proposals for the phased development of a sports campus at Abbotstown. During the consultation process it became clear that top class sports facilities to cater for both elite professional and recreational sports people are needed at national level. At the same time, a wide range of facilities need to be provided, which would be available to the national governing bodies of sport and the local community for individual and community related sports. On 15 November 2005, the Government decided to proceed over a five year period with the development of phase one of the sports campus at Abbotstown as set out in the development control plan prepared by CSID. Phase one of the plan will provide: a national field sports training centre catering for rugby, soccer, Gaelic games and hockey; a national indoor training centre which will provide world class training facilities for more than 30 governing bodies of sport, such as badminton, basketball, bowling, boxing, judo and table tennis; accommodation for sports men and women; sports science and medical facilities; and all weather synthetic pitches for community use. This phase of the sports campus is part of a necklace of sporting facilities to be located at Abbotstown, of which the National Aquatic Centre is a key component.

The dedicated space to be provided for Gaelic games, rugby, soccer and hockey is presented as a shamrock concept to be developed around a central core building which will be shared by all the elite training sports teams and athletes. This central core will provide living accommodation, restaurant, fitness training, gyms, sports medical and recovery areas. Dedicated changing and training facilities and pitches will be clustered around this block. A range of pitches will be provided in each of the three dedicated areas to ensure that teams can train in a secure and private location in any weather conditions. There will be natural turf and synthetic pitches, some of which will be floodlit. A multi-functional national indoor training centre will be provided, with changing facilities, a sports hall with 1,500 spectator seats and an ancillary hall suitable for a wide range of indoor sports. It is intended that the training requirements of up to 30 national governing bodies will be met in this centre.

The development control plan is the blueprint for a campus of sporting excellence at Abbotstown. The primary aim of the sports campus is to provide world class sports facilities for Irish sportsmen and women so that they can train and prepare for competition at the highest level. The development will be a key element of a co-ordinated strategy in partnership with the Irish Sports Council and the national governing bodies of sport to promote sporting excellence and participation. Our sportsmen and women are entitled to the best of facilities and supports if they are to compete successfully at national and international competitions. For teams and individuals to succeed at the highest level, there is a need to put in place a support system capable of identifying and developing potential by providing access to a professional and administrative structure and a network of coaches and facilities. Reports on the performance of Irish athletes at the Sydney and Athens Olympic Games concluded that the existing support system in Ireland falls well short of best international practice. Accordingly, a holistic environment in which to train and prepare for world class competition is required to break through to a more success driven system. The facilities must be on a par with facilities available to athletes in other countries. A failure to invest in cutting edge sports facilities means that Irish sportsmen and women will continue to be disadvantaged when competing at the highest level. The facilities the Government intends to develop at Abbotstown will rival those available anywhere else in Europe or beyond.

The Irish Sports Council's blueprint for high performance sport in Ireland is set out in its high performance strategy. A key element of this strategy is the identified requirement to put in place systems and infrastructure to enable Ireland's best athletes to fulfil their potential. The ISC has recognised the need for state-of-the-art services and facilities if the strategy is to succeed. The Athens review has acknowledged the commitment of the Government to the delivery of a modern sporting infrastructure and advocates a further stepping up of investment in elite sport facilities. The development of the proposed facilities at the National Sports Campus will be the central feature of our planned investment strategy for elite sport.

The Irish Sports Council's strategic goals are built around the concept of participation, performance and excellence. They pose a challenge to all agencies involved with sport to consider their objectives, structures and strategies in pursuit of these goals. For Ireland to produce teams and individuals who win at the highest levels, we will need professionally administered organisations with an effective strategy to generate participation, investment and commitment in our sports men and women. We will also need a network of facilities from local to national level to be built around the concept of a centre of excellence, such as that proposed for the National Sports Campus.

There are growing concerns in Ireland and internationally about the low level of physical activity, particularly among young people, and obesity has become a critical public health concern. In this regard, investment in sport can yield a very tangible return in improved fitness and health for the individual, with a consequent reduction in the demand on health services. It can at the same time provide a channel to reduce anti-social behaviour and encourage personal development and the generation of community and team spirit.

The selection of London as the host city for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games and Paralympic Games opens up opportunities for us to present Ireland as a high quality centre for elite athletes and teams as they finalise their preparations for Olympic competitions. This will only come about if early planning is undertaken and opportunities are recognised. I have been made aware by the Olympic Council of Ireland that a number of national teams have indicated that they would consider using Ireland as a base leading up to the games. Participants wishing to prepare for games look for locations which are not directly caught up in the hype of Olympic preparations in the host country but which provide climatic conditions similar to those likely to be experienced at the Olympic rounds. This country is ideally situated to fulfil this requirement.

However, if Ireland is to be attractive to potential participating athletes, high quality sporting and residential accommodation such as those currently planned for development in the first phase for a sports campus at Abbotstown and the proposed Irish Institute of Sport will need to be available in time to be effectively marketed. Some such facilities already exist in the University of Limerick and I understand that the university's authorities are developing plans for adding to these facilities. I am also setting up a high level group which will be mandated to promote the attractions of Ireland as a high quality locations for Olympic preparations. I need hardly mention the potential business and tourism gains to be realised.

Funds for the delivery of the campus project have been provided in my Department's capital envelope for 2006 to 2010. The estimated cost of the project is €119 million, with a four to five year delivery schedule. This year, expenditure of almost €10 million will be incurred as the project gets under way. I met the board of CSID on 8 December 2005 to discuss the realisation of the plans for Abbotstown and have urged it to progress the project at full speed. I pay tribute to the members of the board, and its chairman, Mr. Con Haugh, for their dedication to the project and work in bringing it to this stage.

Already, discussions have been held with Fingal County Council on planning and zoning issues. The Fingal county development plan contains a specific objective for the lands at Abbotstown. This objective obliges the county council to "undertake a study to determine a suitable mix of sporting and appropriate commercial, leisure and amenity uses in order to create a vibrant and sustainable sports campus." This study shall also "investigate the possibility of opening up these lands for recreation use for the residents of the greater Blanchardstown area." Under the chairmanship of the OPW, a group consisting of CSID, Fingal County Council, the Departments of Finance, Agriculture and Food and my Department have commenced the preparation of the study, which we intend to complete by the end of May. The study will investigate the scope for opening up the Abbotstown lands for recreational use by residents of the greater Blanchardstown area. Deputies will be aware that this is a rapidly growing area with a population that is already greater than the size of Limerick. It is important that we do not allow growth to get out of control and that we put in place the support structures to support that growth, particularly in the areas of sport and recreation. One of the advantages of this study is that it will provide a framework against which individual planning applications will be considered. It will highlight where zonings may need to be changed to facilitate the optimum development of the site. The process of the study will involve the preparation of a draft for public consultation and approval of the elected members. Fingal County Council's objective is that public consultation will commence no later than July and I am confident the deadline can be achieved.

The development control plan proposes to retain the buildings already on site which might be adapted for use as administrative offices. I fully support this proposal and it makes eminent sense to utilise these buildings. The Government decision gave approval for the use of the former State laboratory building at Abbotstown as a possible location for new headquarters for the FAl. The organisation is currently located in Merrion Square and is anxious to move to more adequate and spacious headquarters. Deputies will also be aware that the FAl is interested in developing a football academy on the site. Discussions to facilitate this are already advanced and involve my Department together with the OPW, the Department of Agriculture and Food, as well as FAl and CSID. This will be a timely move and will reflect the new direction and vision of the association. It is my intention that the national headquarters will be in operation in Abbotstown before the end of this year. In addition to providing the sports facilities I have listed, the Government also gave approval for the provision of a parcel of not more than three acres of land on the Abbotstown site, adjacent to the James Connolly Memorial Hospital, to build a hospice. Discussions have commenced between CSID and the voluntary hospice group St. Francis Hospice to agree a suitable site. The Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Brian Lenihan, and others have been particularly interested in that matter.

A key requirement for the success of the campus is that the national sporting organisations and relevant stakeholders will use the proposed facilities to their fullest extent. There has been broad support for the campus among the national governing bodies, as is evidenced in the development control plan. Detailed discussions have also commenced between CSID and the national governing bodies of sport that will use the proposed facilities on the campus to agree details of their specific requirements and put in place user agreements with them.

The establishment of the national sports campus development authority is a further important step in the Government's plan for the development of national sports facilities and programmes.

For the benefit of the House, I will go through the various sections. The Bill contains three parts. Part 1, Preliminary and General, covers sections 1 to 4, inclusive. This part contains standard provisions regarding Short Title and definitions of key terms used in the Bill. It also provides for the laying of orders made by the Minister before each House of the Oireachtas.

Part 2 covers sections 5 to 30, inclusive, and deals with the establishment of the authority, describes the authority's functions, provides for the transfer of the Abbotstown site from the Minister for Agriculture and Food to the new authority and the membership of the authority. Sections 5 and 6 provide for the making of an order by the Minister to set a day for the establishment of the authority, which will be known as the national sports campus development authority, and which will have, with the approval of the Minister, given with the consent of the Minister for Finance, the power to acquire, hold and dispose of land and other property.

Section 7 describes the authority's functions. The primary functions of the authority will be to develop a sports campus on the site; to furnish and equip it; to manage, operate and maintain it; and to encourage and promote its use by professional and amateur sports people and members of the public alike. The authority may develop facilities and services of a commercial nature, complementary to the sports campus, arrange for the development of medical and research facilities for sport on the site or elsewhere or arrange for use of the site by a national sports body for purposes connected with sport.

A development plan for the campus must be submitted for the approval of the Minister and the Government and before the commencement of each phase, details of which must also be submitted for approval. Section 7 also provides for the conveyance of the site currently owned by the Minister for Agriculture and Food to the authority and that pending such conveyance, the authority may develop the land. Schedule 1 contains a description of the land at Abbotstown owned by the Minister for Agriculture and Food.

Sections 9, 10, 11 and 13 provide for the establishment of a board consisting of a chairperson and 12 members and also for the appointment of a chief executive. The chairperson will hold office for a period of five years, the ordinary members first appointed to the board will hold office for periods between three and five years, but thereafter any appointments will be for a period of five years.

The powers given to the authority are provided for in various sections of Part 2. Under section 8, the authority is empowered to enter into agreements with others to carry out its functions, make charges, recover debts and engage consultants. Section 11 provides the right to establish committees to assist it in the performance of its functions. Sections 14 and 15 provide for the appointment of staff, with the approval of the Minister given with the consent of the Minister for Finance.

Section 25 gives the authority power to withhold consent to renewal of a lease or tenancy where such lease or tenancy would prejudice the running of the site. Section 28 provides for the establishment of subsidiaries, a company, or the entering of a joint venture, with the consent of the Minister and the Minister for Finance. Section 29 allows the authority to borrow with the consent of the Minister and the Minister for Finance. Section 30 gives the authority the power to acquire by agreement land adjoining the site for access purposes or, if authorised by an order of the Minister made under Schedule 2 of this Act, the right to acquire such land compulsorily.

Section 18 contains the standard prohibitions on members of the authority holding political office, either at local, national or European level, and also provides for secondment arrangements where persons employed by the authority secure election to office at these levels. Section 19 empowers the Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, to advance funding provided by the Oireachtas to the authority. Sections 20 to 22, inclusive, contain standard provisions to the submission of audited accounts and annual reports to the Minister, which the Minister will subsequently lay before each House of the Oireachtas. The accounts of the authority will be audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General. Section 24 allows the Minister to give general policy directions to the authority.

The Bill also requires the attendance of the chief executive before Oireachtas committees and the Committee of Public Accounts in sections 20 and 21; the disclosure of beneficial interests by members, staff, consultants, etc. in section 16; and the non-disclosure of confidential information except as required by law and application of freedom of information legislation in sections 17 and 23. Part 3 deals with transitional provisions and covers sections 31 to 38, inclusive. This part provides for the dissolution of CSID and the transfer of existing staff to the new authority. CSID, soon to be the national sports campus development authority, has already begun the process of delivering a range of facilities to be used by elite athletes and the sporting public.

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. A considerable effort had been put into the discussion and planning stage of the project, which has been given the green light by the Government. This development is crucial to the future development of sport. The proposals for the campus are exciting and I am looking forward to their realisation.

I also look forward to a scenario in the context of the London Olympics of 2012 whereby Ireland, with these state-of-the-art facilities, will offer an attractive option as a training base for international Olympic teams in the years leading up to the staging of the games in London in 2012. In commending the Bill to the House I apologise to the main spokespersons for my inability to stay for their contributions. I must attend a function which has been organised for a long time. I will read with great care the statements of the Opposition spokespersons with regard to the Bill with a view to possible amendments. My colleague, the Minister of State and the Department of Education and Science, Deputy de Valera, will represent me.

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