Neale Richmond (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On this infamous day that Article 50 is being triggered, I would like to raise a matter closer to home, namely, an ongoing stand-off in Belfield, UCD, between college authorities and the Irish hockey association in respect of the upgrade of the AstroTurf pitch there. The upgrade is vital because a ranking hockey match has not been played in the national hockey stadium since 2015. I call on the Leader to raise this with the Ministers for Education and Skills and Transport, Tourism and Sport. Ireland has had huge success in this realm in recent years with the men's team qualifying for the Rio Olympics. The fact that our national hockey stadium is no longer certified to host international hockey matches is an absolute disgrace and this stand-off has to be resolved as soon as possible.