Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In July of this year, legislation went through the House to facilitate the hosting of the Rugby World Cup in 2023 which, at the time, was described by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, as "the most energising piece of legislation" he had ever introduced in the Dáil. Yesterday, however, our bid did not seem to have the required energy, place kicking or indeed the front row power of Mr. Chabal from France. Given that the Government has put over €1.25 million of taxpayers' money behind this bid, as well as significant political capital, will we have a report examining the ballot process that saw us get only eight votes yesterday as well as the entire process of the failed bid? We need to get to the root of it. Other nations did not believe our commitment on stadiums. They looked at the likes of Casement Park where the meadow is growing six foot high. We need to consider the Government's commitment to stadium funding across the country, and possibly adopt the municipal stadium model they have across Europe. This would ensure our reputation was in such a way that we could make a successful bid in the future.

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