John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)

At the request of the 2012 London task force, the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism is undertaking a separate and limited audit of sporting infrastructure in advance of the 2012 Olympic Games. A list of facilities which are likely to attract Olympic and Paralympic training camps, prior to the London games in 2012, will be drawn up over the next three months. The audit will focus on university campuses, individual sporting facilities and local authority facilities. The Department held discussions with the national sporting governing authorities at a briefing session in sports headquarters on 28 September last. The Department wrote to third level institutions on 10 November last, asking them to make submissions on how they could facilitate Olympic and Paralympic teams, to give details of the upgrade work that is needed to bring facilities up to the required standard, and to mention any development plans which are under consideration. The audit process will continue for the rest of 2006 and will be completed early in 2007. We will then have a more comprehensive idea of the quality of the facilities which are available, whether they need to be upgraded and the level of expenditure required to bring the facilities up to the standard required by potential visiting athletes. It is anticipated that proposals will be presented to the Government in early 2007. I will seek funding for the upgrading of facilities, if such work is deemed worthwhile. Upgrade work that is done will focus on leaving a lasting legacy for Irish sport.

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