Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)

With the Chairman's permission I would like to share my time with Deputies Crowe and Finian McGrath, in that order.

I welcome the Minister back. I agree with the statements by Deputies Deenihan and Wall. I will not explore the minutiae of the National Aquatic Centre or the issues Deputy Deenihan raised. Suffice to say that the new sports campus development authority will have its work cut out on that. As the Minister has opened the debate to include wider sports issues, I will not say much on the Bill. Given the raison d'être of the Abbotstown facility, it is in the wrong location. Ideally it should serve the needs of the Blanchardstown area. Although one could argue that it is within a ten or 15 minute walk of the railway line to Sligo, most of the city and country will reach Abbotstown via the M50, which, as the authorities have acknowledged, will still be congested after the widening works are completed. This is despite the cost overrun from €300 million to €800 million, which the Taoiseach said in this House could run as high as €1 billion. In the absence of a cross-city metro system, a network of Luas lines or investment in the Dublin Bus network it is difficult to see how the country will benefit from this national facility. This facility is primarily for elite athletes and then for the local community. I have concerns on the commercialism of the final entity versus its ability to be available cheaply to the local community.

Assuming the project will go ahead at this location, I am concerned about the residential aspect. Will this mean more housing beside Abbotstown or housing for the people using the centre, an elite athletes' village? I support the latter but I do not support an excuse to raise revenue for the local authority or the Government by building more houses. Given the large population increase in Blanchardstown, which used to be part of my electoral standing area over the years, this is not the right location.

The Minister acknowledged that there are growing concerns in Ireland and internationally about low levels of physical activity, particularly among young people. Obesity has become a critical public health concern. Investment in sport can yield a tangible return in improved fitness and health for the individual with a consequent reduction in demand for health services. This is why I have called for increased sports funding. Even the dogs in the street or, I should say, the dogs at the track know the problem lies with funding. The Minister has acknowledged in previous replies that 37% of sports funding goes to dogs and horses. I will discuss that in more detail later.

See this speech in context