Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 9, 36 and 43 together.

On 5 April last, the contract for the provision of a national conference centre in Dublin was awarded to Spencer Dock Convention Centre Dublin Limited. Under the public private partnership arrangement, Spencer Dock Convention Centre Dublin Limited is required to design, build and finance the national conference centre and to operate and maintain it for a period of 25 years, after which the facility will revert to the State. In return, once the construction of the centre is complete and it is open for business, the State will pay the company an annual charge, the maximum total cost of which over 25 years will be just under €380 million in present day values.

The centre will be capable of accommodating up to 2,000 delegates in plenary session. It will also have 22 multi-purpose meeting rooms and approximately 4,500 m2 of flexible exhibition and banqueting space, along with associated press and delegate support facilities and general utility spaces. The centre, which is to be known as the convention centre Dublin, is scheduled to open on 1 September 2010. In the meantime, the operators, in co-operation with Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and the Dublin Convention Bureau, will be engaged in marketing the centre to secure bookings for 2010 and after. In addition, the prospects for the successful marketing and operation of the facility will be considerably enhanced by the VAT deductibility of accommodation expenses for business conferences, announced in last December's budget at the behest of my predecessor and included in this year's Finance Act.

The imminent realisation of a national conference centre in Ireland represents a wonderful boost for Irish tourism and for the economy generally. According to a number of independent estimates, the national conference centre, when fully operational, is expected to generate additional foreign revenue earnings of between €25 million and €50 million per year. Currently, promotable business tourism attracts 295,000 visitors and is worth €475 million to the economy annually. Fáilte Ireland's target now is to grow this sector to 600,000 promotable business visitors with a revenue value of €1 billion by 2013.

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