Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

I will reply on behalf of the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism. While the Minister cannot be present, he wishes to thank Deputies on both sides of the House for their constructive insights into and measured responses to this Bill and the wider aspects of sport as they affect us all as individuals, a community and a nation.

On my behalf, I greatly welcome the introduction of this Bill because I represent the area in which the national sports campus will be established. The Bill will establish the new statutory authority which will be charged with making a reality of the vision of that sports campus at Abbotstown. I have been an ardent and outspoken supporter of the concept of the sports campus since it was first mooted by the Taoiseach. I congratulate my colleague, the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Deputy O'Donoghue, for introducing this important legislation.

Deputy Eamon Ryan's contribution implied that somehow, the sports campus will be developed on the edge of the city. Speaking as a Deputy for the area concerned, there is a growing need and demand in the greater Blanchardstown area and in the Fingal area in general. It is not widely known that the administrative area of Fingal covers an area of approximately 173 square miles. It has a population of almost 210,000 souls, which is projected to grow to 260,000 by 2010. Within a decade, more people will live in the area covered by Fingal County Council, which is on the north side of Dublin, than within Dublin City Council's functional area on the north side of the city. Hence, it is very misleading for Deputy Eamon Ryan to describe this area as being in some way part of the edge of the city in terms of the development taking place in Ireland at present. I understand the point he made about the M50 motorway. As I am sure many Members of the House commute on the motorway from time to time, they will be aware of the huge spread of development that has taken place to the west of the motorway. It is no longer an orbital hub, which is one of the difficulties.

The decision to proceed with the sports campus is a commitment by the Government to invest in an area which is the most rapidly growing area, not just in Ireland but in Western Europe, and to provide badly needed facilities to support the huge local community that is emerging in the region. There is an emphasis in the plans for Abbotstown on providing sports facilities for elite sportsmen and women. There is also a commitment to provide community facilities. This is important because Abbotstown cannot just be about elite athletes. That point was made by many Deputies in the debate. The development at Abbotstown will complement the work being done by the local sports partnership in the local community. The development control plan prepared for the site includes 16 seven-a-side pitches. It is a welcome development given the heavy demand for that type of facility. There are also plans to develop a large portion of the site as a woodland park and to provide a hospice campus. I will not go into the details of a hospice facility because the Minister outlined it and Deputies referred to it.

I will deal with certain matters raised in the debate. Several speakers identified the importance of engaging the interest of young people in sport, and the importance of schools and local communities in that regard. It is important to note that almost €2 billion has been invested from 1998 to 2004 to provide modern facilities, including those for physical education in schools, with a further €3 billion due to be invested over the five years to 2010. In the period 2003-2005, under the Department of Education and Science's capital programme, 202 primary or post-primary schools projects have been funded which include the provision of general purpose rooms for physical activity or PE hall provision. Virtually all schools have at least one element of physical education facilities at post-primary level, whether PE halls, general-purpose rooms, outdoor hard play areas such as basketball and tennis courts and playing fields. Within the design brief for building projects at schools, improvements to the existing facilities are generally considered.

Responsibility for the provision of facilities at the schools rests with the Department of Education and Science but applications from schools and colleges can be considered under the sports capital programme in circumstances where these facilities are made available to the wider community. The issue of encouraging schools to come together with local communities and sports clubs to develop sports facilities is being examined in the context of the sports facilities strategy of the Department. Clearly, sports facilities used during the day by schools and by the wider communities in the evening, represents the best value for money. This is not to say there are not issues which must be addressed around staffing, security, insurance and running costs. However, it is heartening to note that there already exists a close relationship between many schools and local sports clubs. The 2005 ESRI report on the participation of young people and children in sport reported that 79% of post-primary schools and 90% of primary schools acknowledged some degree of help with facilities provided by local sports clubs.

Two programmes are specifically operated by the Irish Sports Council which aim to encourage young people into sports participation. The sport for young people grant scheme is administered through the VECs to promote sporting opportunities for young people, especially for those in areas of social disadvantage. That grant scheme is open to VECs that do not have local sports partnerships in their areas. The Buntús programme is being rolled out to primary schools by the sports council through the local sports partnership network. The programme aims to support the primary PE curriculum by providing equipment, resource cards and training to teachers to enable teachers and coaches to introduce sport to children in a safe and fun way.

The Government recently undertook an initiative to encourage greater participation by women in sport. In the 2005 Estimates, the Government allocated €750,000 to the Irish Sports Council to promote this form of participation. Local sports partnerships were also given funding for locally-based projects aimed at specific target groups. The projects selected for funding were innovative and designed to bring girls and women into sport and are aimed at retaining and re-engaging female participants in a diverse range of sporting activities. The Government recognises the importance of this issue and has taken specific action by increasing the level of funding in 2006 to more than €2.25 million.

A number of Deputies referred to the valuable contribution the Community Games make to raise the level of participation in competitive sports. Others outlined the important role this organisation plays in our society. The Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and I agree fully with this sentiment. The Minister will continue to provide both financial and moral support to those staging the Community Games. Exchequer funding is provided through the sports council to recognised national governing bodies of sport that are involved with the National Community Games structure. In 2006, the National Community Games received a grant from the sports council of €250,000, which represents the largest amount of grant-aid given to the National Community Games by the council so far. This is in recognition of the work done to streamline and modernise the organisation, including the reduction of members on its executive.

The National Community Games recently announced its new sponsorship arrangement with the Health Service Executive, which is to be welcomed as a very appropriate partnership. This increased funding will alleviate financial concerns for the future of the games and give added recognition to the work of its many dedicated volunteers. The issue of a suitable venue for the National Community Games to hold its national finals was raised during this debate. The Mosney holiday centre hosted the Games for many years. The Refugee Integration Agency, which now has a contract with Mosney Holding Limited for parts of the centre, has confirmed that the venue will continue to be available until at least 2009.

During the course of the debate on the Bill, Deputy Gregory was critical of the fact that the Government provided a high level of support for horse and greyhound racing. The Minister is anxious to point out to Deputy Gregory that two of the most successful sports in Ireland in recent days have been those of horse and greyhound racing. Government support for both industries is provided under the fund as approved by the Oireachtas. The fund receives a guaranteed level of finance based on the excise duty on off-course betting. This money, in so far as it is invested in capital projects, has led to undeniable benefits for both sectors and it has marked a revival of interest in both sports, to the benefit of the whole economy. It has not only helped towards providing some top class racing venues and facilities, but it has underpinned significant employment in both industries and the prize money. The prize money it has facilitated has been an important boost for both horse and greyhound breeding. The fund was extended by the Government in 2004 up to and including 2008, with the limit of the fund being increased to €550 million. I recall that there was support right across the House for this initiative at the time. A total of €70 million has been provided for the fund in 2006.

I would direct any doubters to the 2004 report on the economic value of the horseracing and bloodstock breeding industry compiled by Indecon International Economic Consultants. This confirmed that horseracing and thoroughbred breeding are significant net contributors to the economy. They have an important role in generating employment, particularly in the tourism and rural sectors. The report indicated that the thoroughbred breeding industry makes a gross contribution to the Irish economy of €330 million per annum and that it pays tax in the region of €37.5 million per annum. The report showed that Ireland is now the largest producer of thoroughbreds in Europe, accounting for 42% of total output. It is the third largest producer world-wide, behind only the United States and Australia and the employment figures of 16,500 are shown to be generated from the racing, breeding and associated industries. This is an important niche that has been established and Deputies should be informed about it.

On the National Aquatic Centre to which a number of Deputies referred, the House will be aware that matters relating to the lease have been before the High Court recently. Dublin Waterworld Limited operates the centre under a 30-year lease from CSID, the landlords of the centre. CSID took legal proceedings against the company for forfeiture of the lease for failure to comply with obligations under that lease, which included failure to pay rent, failure to pay insurance, failure to provide audited accounts, to name just some of the breaches. Relief was sought against the forfeiture by the defendant. When the proceedings commenced, it emerged that the defendant had assigned its right to take the lease of the centre to a businessman, Mr. Pat Mulcair, even though such a transfer of ownership should only have taken place with the consent of the landlord. In his judgment on 21 March, Mr. Justice Gilligan in the High Court found in favour of the landlord on all counts. He found that the company had wilfully declined to honour its obligations pursuant to the lease. Accordingly, he declined to grant relief against forfeiture. Arising from this judgment, a court order for possession of the aquatic centre was made on 29 March, which would have had effect from 28 April. Plans were drawn up for the ongoing operation of the centre in the event that the operators removed themselves from it. However, on 13 April the defendants lodged a notice of appeal to the Supreme Court against the judgment and the order, as defendants are entitled to do. The matter came before the High Court on 25 April and the judge granted a stay of 14 days on the execution of the forfeiture order. The House will appreciate that for the present there are constraints in what can be said as the judicial process has not been completed.

I recommend that Deputy Burton read the full judgment of Justice Gilligan after which she will be in possession of the facts and perhaps will stop dealing in speculation and conjecture about the matter. The Deputy appears to have a vendetta against the National Aquatic Centre and never misses an opportunity to run with misinformation and spin put into the public arena by people with unfriendly intentions towards the centre. The centre is a tremendous facility, not alone for west Dublin but for our capital city and for those who commute into Dublin on the western side of what another member of the potential rainbow coalition described as an edge on the city. It is very much at the centre of our country and is a great facility.

With regard to specific issues relating to the centre raised by Deputy Deenihan, although these issues have been dealt with in parliamentary questions on a number of occasions recently, the Minister believes it is appropriate to take the opportunity once more to clarify the situation for the House. It never ceases to surprise the Minister that misinformation will come back into the public arena again and again while the plain facts are conveniently overlooked because they do not make for dramatic headlines. The Minister therefore wants me to read into the record of this House the facts of what happened at the National Aquatic Centre.

We had the unfortunate event of damage to the roof caused by very severe weather conditions on 1 January 2005. I am one of the Members of the House who can give personal testimony to those severe weather conditions. The repair work on the centre was completed on 20 May 2005 under the supervision of consulting and structural engineers, Kavanagh Mansfield and Partners. All necessary repair works were fully carried out and the centre was reopened to the public on the day work was completed. When the work was completed, the consultants provided confirmation that all work was completed to a satisfactory standard. As has been said before in the House, the costs associated with the repair work are a matter between the construction company, its sub-contractors and their insurance companies.

During last year, there were media reports about alleged leaks, cracks and subsidence at the National Aquatic Centre. To get to the bottom of the matter, Campus Stadium Ireland arranged for the alleged defects to be examined. In July, a joint inspection by experts was completed at the National Aquatic Centre. The inspection was led by Rohcon, the NAC construction company accompanied by S&P Architects, URS Structural Engineers, and Euro Pools, specialist subcontractors. Technical representatives of Campus Stadium Ireland, Davis Langdon PKS, managers of the project, and Kavanagh Mansfield structural engineers, were also involved. The inspection team found there was no evidence of any structural defects or of any water leaking into the plant room despite what had been alleged in the media. Some leakage through pipe joints and valves was found, which was attributed to operational and not structural origins. It is very likely that this is a maintenance issue. A test was carried out which confirmed there were no leaks from the swimming pools. URS Structural Engineers confirmed that the concrete works were designed and constructed to meet the British standard 8007. They confirmed that any cracks that existed were usual and acceptable in a building that was still settling. They were not leaking, they were not of a structural nature and they were entirely normal for a building of this type.

It is disappointing that people will still run with the bad story despite tangible evidence to the contrary. My colleague, the Minister, and I agree with what Deputy Deenihan says about the image of the National Aquatic Centre being tarnished and it is unfortunate that some people have sought to make political capital from that. Neither the Minister nor I am suggesting Deputy Deenihan is guilty of that and I know he is supportive in trying to protect the reputation of a facility that is world class and of great benefit to our elite swimmers and the local community.

See this speech in context