Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am sure the Minister and the House will join me in wishing the Irish rugby team every success this weekend, when it travels to Twickenham to face England in the RBS 6 Nations Championship. Hosting the Rugby World Cup is a very exciting prospect for this country, not just for rugby fans but for everybody. The country, North and South, can benefit from it in the many years leading up to the games and for many years after them. It is important that when we put the bid together we invest the appropriate time and money in it. It is akin to a bid to host the Olympic Games. Will the Minister make additional funding available for rugby and for hosting the Rugby World Cup, in particular through the sports capital grant programme? Who is on the working group? What bodies are represented on it? Who will chair the working group?

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