Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

-------legal practitioners and members of the public would have one document to refer to. I believe that should be welcomed.

Deputy Ó Snodaigh referred to all the other Bills. The Fines Bill, for instance, will I hope pass into law in the next week or so if we can get the amendments from the Seanad passed in the Dáil. The immigration Bill is another on which we have agreement at the suggestion of the Opposition, to a certain extent, that it should be dealt with in a certain manner, and I welcome that. It is not as if we are taking the foot off the pedal as regards other items of legislation. It is one of the reasons why we willingly accepted the suggestion from the Opposition that we should deal with this quickly.

I wish to advise Deputy Rabbitte that I have no information on the matter he raised regarding the hotel nearby. With regard to my views on PPPs and the Exchequer paying for them, my experience as a Minister is to the effect that PPP projects work well, as in the case of the criminal courts complex although in other areas they have not worked as well. In the case of this convention centre and the criminal courts complex they seem to have worked well. On the question of whether the State could afford to pay out a very large amount of money for buildings such as the criminal courts complex and indeed this one, the consensus was that to do it on a PPP basis was a better approach.

The focus, primarily, will be on international business, but the centre will also be looking for big local business. Deputy Upton raised the matter of language facilities, and that is an issue. However, I am aware from developments in the courts in recent times that a number of private companies are very adept at bringing translators forward in every language we have had to deal with in the courts. I understand they have dealt with them reasonably well.

It is estimated that this facility will provide 200 to 250 full-time jobs, 500 temporary jobs as well during its construction, 730 on-site at its peak, with 600 off-site. It will be ready for business a month prior to the official opening on 7 September. To date, the company that is targeted with finding business has exceeded its targets for international delegates for the years 2010-11. It already has 200 options signed up and is negotiating in this regard in relation to conferences coming to the centre up to 2021. To date the company has confirmed 236,000 delegate days on 29 events, and there are targets it has to comply with over the lifetime of the 25-year lease. There are penalties if it does not reach those targets.

This is an excellent building. It is fair to say, leaving aside all the issues in regard to the DAA and the other matters in the public domain in that respect, that the developments which have taken place down in the docklands are magnificent. They are a testimony to the design of architects and engineers as well as to the view taken by the local authority and the State with regard to how to develop this area which had been very disadvantaged for many years. It was gratifying to hear a number of the community leaders in this area saying that despite all the controversy with respect to some of the sites, we should not lose sight of the fact that these developments have enhanced that area and have led to jobs for local people in tandem with developments for previously disadvantaged communities. Again, I thank the Deputies for this.

Question put and agreed to.

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