Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

Following the completion of the move by the FAI to the former State Laboratory building at Abbotstown last year, work has been advanced on providing a headquarters for the Irish Institute of Sport. That involves refurbishing an existing building on the Abbotstown site. Construction is expected to commence before the end of the year and the Irish Institute of Sport is expected to move into its new headquarters during 2009.

Following the appointment by the National Sports Campus Development Authority, NSCDA, in April last of project management and design teams, detailed plans for phase one of the campus have been completed by the authority. The NSCDA expects to apply for planning permission for the campus project before the end of 2008. The facilities in respect of which the application for planning permission is being prepared are in accordance with the development control plan as originally approved and include a national field sports training centre catering for rugby, soccer, Gaelic games and hockey; a multi-sport national indoor training centre to provide world class training facilities for more than 20 sports; sports science and medical facilities; accommodation for sportsmen and women; and all-weather synthetic pitches for community recreational access.

I regard the development of the sports campus at Abbotstown as a crucial piece of sporting infrastructure in the support of our athletes as they get ready to represent us in European and World competitions. I am reviewing with the NSCDA how we might best advance the campus project from 2009 taking into consideration the current difficult economic constraints.

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