Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

We were all here to see him on the Adjournment.

Recently, we had a good debate on the arts, their contribution to employment and how we can expand on that. The debate had been sought by Senator Mac Conghail and I seek a similar debate on sports tourism. I am mindful of the great contribution of our rugby stars in New Zealand. It is reminiscent of the Euro 1988 and 1990 campaigns and is great for the national psyche but in terms of events we have hosted here in the past such as the World Rally Championship in the north west and others, there is a great deal not only of revenue to be earned as a result of hosting such events but also in terms of the marketing tool it gives to the nation. Many millions of people are watching the coverage of the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand and one can see the benefit of that for tourism in that country. It is worth noting that more than 50 million people watched the live final stage of Rally Ireland at Mullaghmore in County Sligo. That is more than the number that watch the Rugby World Cup final or the Wimbledon finals annually.

In these difficult days when the Government does not have the resources it would wish for the marketing of this country we must box clever and examine other opportunities available to us to market our country and bring in a revenue stream. It would be beneficial if the Minister for sport could come into the House for a debate, similar to the arts debate, with a focus on the contribution of sport and how we can use it as an economic tool in the future.