Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 94, 108 and 850 together.

Last November, the Government considered a memorandum on the discussions and analysis to date on a potential bid to host the Rugby World Cup in 2023. While the memorandum identified a number of challenges, the great potential of the event is also clear and I believe that hosting the Rugby World Cup on a cross-Border basis in 2023 would be a great opportunity for Northern Ireland and Ireland.  Aside from the potential economic boost, the tournament would raise our international profile, not just in terms of sport and tourism but also more widely in terms of business, trade and investment.  Attracting major international events is a key element of tourism strategy on both sides of the Border and co-operation between North and South can enhance such events.

In response to the memorandum, the Government expressed strong support for the proposal and for the conduct of further work to get to the stage of making a formal decision to bid.  To progress the matter further, the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, and I met with Arlene Foster, MLA, the Minister responsible for tourism in the Northern Ireland Executive, and Carál Ní Chulín, MLA, who is responsible for sport in the Northern Ireland Executive, in Armagh on 22 January. At that meeting, we agreed to establish a working group to examine some key issues further and to report back to Ministers in the summer.  The working group will hold its first meeting next Tuesday, 25 February.

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