John Dardis (Progressive Democrats)

Abbotstown is well established in the psyche of agricultural Ireland. Anybody who studied agriculture in the 1960s, as I did, or who farmed in the 1970s and 1980s was aware of the importance of Abbotstown and the work of the laboratories to the industry. It is a reflection of the changing times that it is being developed as a special sports campus, which is welcome.

When zoning lands, local authorities should be very conscious of the location of prime sites that could be developed to provide a sports facility and result in a significant community gain. When I was a member of Kildare County Council, we tried to do that with one particular zoning. We hoped to make land available so that the GAA could move from its town centre stadium in Newbridge to a new facility outside the town. One of the great hopes of the late Michael Osborne was that the project would come to fruition. I hope it will but the main issue is to reserve a site. If somebody gains significantly from the rezoning of land for industrial purposes, a site should be reserved for sporting or community use, as that is important.

The Minister stated that between 1997 and the end of the this year almost €900 million will have been provided in sports capital funding. The question arises as to why that amount should be invested in sport, which leads us to the wider issue of the health of the nation and enabling individuals to compete at the highest level internationally or even on a county or provincial basis. While health spending was raised in a different context on the Order of Business, investment in sport results in an unseen gain.

Both the Olympic Council of Ireland and the Irish Sports Council have roles in this area. I have argued with the chief executive of the sports council that it should cast its net as widely as possible to support all sports. I regard field sports and angling, for example, as sports and they should come within the ambit of the council. The OCI has an important and crucial role in making sure the conditions exist to help young people who have the potential to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games to come through the system, to give them the supports they need and to make sure they are properly looked after.

I wish the Bill well. While it is important that world-class facilities should be provided so that people can compete successfully at the highest level internationally, participation is the most important issue. We should never lose sight of the person who takes to the field on a wet Sunday morning in rural Ireland to play his or her heart out, as he or she also deserves support.