Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

We have all agreed this at the Committee on Procedure and Privileges. I put my name to it and I will observe it.

I repeat my point for the Minister of State, whom I know is listening, that we have lost five years during this debate, largely due to the incompetence of the Taoiseach in this matter. I blame the Taoiseach rather than the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Deputy O'Donoghue. The Taoiseach has been shuffling about over the past five years trying to find a vision which he patently does not have. His vision was of a stadium in Abbotstown, brilliantly described as "Ceaucescu-like" by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell. We have lost five years and spent a great deal of money while the Taoiseach's incompetence on this issue has been exposed. I have no doubt that most Members on the other side of this House believe that too. The national stadium issue has been a joke from start to finish. I am glad the Government has finally proposed the sensible solution of refurbishing the Lansdowne Road stadium as a modern international stadium for the future, while ensuring we retain the excellent facility on Dublin's north side, namely Croke Park.

When I was a member of South Dublin County Council a very controversial decision was taken, with the unanimous support of council members, to support Eircom Park in my former constituency of Dublin South-West. That decision was taken on a cross-party basis with the brilliant foresight of Mr. Bernard O'Byrne. The proposal had planning permission, with funding in place. It was close to the M50 and ready to go. What happened? All the little moles in the FAI who had been listening to the Taoiseach's office did the dirty on Mr. Bernard O'Byrne, creating trumped-up charges against him which have yet to be proven, with the result that the Eircom Park stadium was put on the back burner, and more time was lost.

Despite the revisionism of Members on the other side of the House, we should not lose sight of what happened. Mr. O'Byrne was dumped by the FAI. The first genuine attempt to find a home for Irish soccer was dumped because it did not fit in with the plans of Fianna Fáil at the time. All kinds of promises were made to the GAA. Promises were made by the Taoiseach to some lackeys in the FAI that if they dumped the notion of Eircom Park and came on board with him for the proposed Abbotstown stadium, the world would be their oyster. Those people in the FAI have been shown to be utterly incompetent in the organisation of their own association over these five years. They were duped by the Taoiseach and lost one of the best FAI executives ever, Mr. Bernard O'Byrne, who has since gone on to better things. We had the opportunity to produce another stadium of 50,000 or more seats in the west of the city, which needed it at the time, at virtually no cost to the Exchequer. Five years later, the costs have escalated and we are in this dilemma.

I commend the GAA, particularly for its plans to redevelop Croke Park. The GAA has shown great foresight and tenacity in bringing to fruition its brilliant stadium. The soccer organisations have been found wanting in urban Dublin when it comes to providing top class club facilities. In my own constituency this week, St. Jude's GAA club in Templeogue became the countrywide club of the year as a result of the kind of hard work and effort put in by urban GAA clubs responding to a need in housing estates over the past 25 years. The FAI was embroiled in typical disputes and petty arguments while the GAA was building up clubs in working class west Dublin. That is why we have effectively professional clubs such as St. Jude's, St. Enda's in Ballyboden, the Thomas Davis club, St. Anne's, St. Mark's and others. They show the tremendous tenacity of the GAA, which deserves credit for that work.

I have changed my views on the GAA since I became involved in elective politics, and I now believe it makes economic sense for the GAA to open up its stadium for other sporting codes. Croke Park will normally be filled on only four or five occasions annually. While we are re-developing Lansdowne Road, it is only sensible that there should be opportunities for rugby and soccer matches in Croke Park, a stadium seating more than 80,000 people. The vast majority of GAA members to whom I speak would agree. It is not for me or anyone else or the Government to tell the GAA what to do, but it should do what is in its own interests. It makes perfect economic sense, and there are also social arguments to be put for many sporting codes to be allowed use this fine facility, with the GAA gaining the resulting financial benefit. I agree with the Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism, Deputy O'Donoghue, that the new stadium at Lansdowne Road should also be available for GAA matches, because there will be many occasions where that stadium, with its 50,000 capacity, will meet the demand. The GAA should use the opportunity to rent out its fantastic stadium to other sporting codes, particularly at times of the year when its 80,000 capacity would be useful, on occasions when the Lansdowne Road stadium capacity of 50,000 is not sufficient.

I have been very hard on the Government, in particular the Taoiseach, because over the past five years we have lost the opportunity to debate many of the real issues in sports, while exclusively focusing on the issue of the national stadium, the "Bertie bowl" or Ceaucescu-like building, call it what one will. There was a very important graph in yesterday's edition of The Irish Times which showed that the number of children cycling to school has fallen dramatically in recent years, as more people drive their children to and from school, particularly in urban communities. The problem of obesity and the volunteer problem in many organisations, with the same people doing all the work, now present the opportunity to invest in sport.

Thanks to Government support in my own constituency in Jobstown, an excellent all-weather pitch has been installed. The problems involve a lack of full time security and of full-time personnel to organise children's leagues. Unfortunately, local authorities do not match with personnel the excellent facilities being put in place all over the country. We must now invest in full-time community people and support full-time community organisation of leagues, particularly in urban Ireland. Regarding the Jobstown development, within two months there were joyriders all over the place. It was in bits, and the security problem was not resolved. Thankfully, the situation has now been turned around. If we are to invest in infrastructure we must also invest in personnel, and the best way of doing that is through local government.

The national lottery issue has been debased by politicians of all parties and Governments. Each council should be given a percentage of the money available and must make the hard decisions on what clubs in the community will get the money. This is an argument for greater devolution and in ensuring that more financial accountability is available locally. The current gravy train, with decisions taken purely at the behest of backbench Deputies, in whatever party in Government, is wrong and is bad for sport.