Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The centre also plays host to community groups, as the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, who represents the same constituency as me, will know. The centre allows community groups to use its facilities. Management is being very selective in the answer it has provided to the Department. The centre is State funded and has an agreement with the Department but it reflects very badly on the Department if one particular group is being discriminated against. This group has performed in over 150 cities around the world in prestigious venues like the Kennedy Centre in Washington, the Lincoln Centre in New York, the ICC in Birmingham as well as theatres in London, Berlin, Milan, Barcelona and Rotterdam. The convention centre in Dublin is an ideal venue for this group, such is the number of performers involved.

There is another agenda at work here. I hate to say it and I hope I am wrong but I cannot come to any other conclusion. This group performed in this venue on two previous occasions. It is not as if the centre is full 365 days a year with conferences. I live nearby and pass the centre twice every day so I know there are times when it is empty. This particular event would bring a lot of people into the area, as it did previously, and would be good for tourism, hotels and so on. I ask the Minister of State to go back to Mr. Dwyer because his answer was not comprehensive.

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