John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)

As the House is aware, in January 2004 the Government agreed to provide funding of €191 million towards the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road stadium as a 50,000 capacity all-seater state-of-the-art facility. The recent decision by An Bord Pleanála to grant permission for the project cleared the way for the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road to commence.

This is an enormously important decision for sport in Ireland. The new Lansdowne Road stadium will meet the needs of the IRFU and the FAI for hosting rugby and soccer matches, while also providing a platform to showcase the talent of our international teams to the world. I congratulate the IRFU, the FAI and the Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company for their vision, painstaking preparatory work and commitment to ensuring the proposed facility reached the present milestone. I am informed by the Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company that it envisages construction getting under way this May, all going well, and with an estimated construction period of 29 months the facility should be ready in late 2009 or early 2010.

Last week's decision also means we can begin to engage seriously with UEFA on its announcement last year that it was prepared to host either a Champions League or UEFA Cup final in the stadium when completed. The development of Lansdowne Road is hugely significant in economic terms and the new stadium will undoubtedly be a valuable asset in attracting an increased number of supporters and visitors to Dublin when major games are played. Reports commissioned by the IRFU estimated that a rugby international against England could generate in the region of €52 million for the economy.

With regard to the Deputy's reference to possible further challenges, legal or otherwise, Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company engaged in a sustained consultative process with local residents and other bodies in the course of which it worked hard to fully understand and take on board real concerns to the greatest extent possible. I am confident this positive framework of consultation and constructive engagement will continue as the project moves into the construction and completion phases.

In concluding my response to these questions I would like to reflect for one moment on the cultural significance of what is about to commence at Lansdowne Road. The stadium has been part of Dublin history for 135 years, beginning in 1872 as a multi-sports venue for athletics, cricket, croquet, football, archery and lawn tennis and a little later hosting its first international rugby fixture in 1878. Many great sporting moments are associated with the stadium and successive generations of Dubliners and others have their own particular memories of great victories and dramatic defeats, whether in international rugby, soccer or the many other sports events held there throughout the decades. It is a matter of great satisfaction that this element of Dublin has survived from the heyday of Charles Stewart Parnell and will host fixtures that will enthrall Irish sports fans long into the 21st century.

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