Neale Richmond (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I call on the Leader to ask that the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Griffin to come to the House. I made a similar call before Christmas with a view to discussing the sports capital grants. I believe a further debate on sports infrastructure on this island is required, both to provide for a healthy island but also to ensure that our tourist offering and our economic offering tied to sports is of the highest possible standard. In Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, the constituency I have most familiarity with, we still have a national hockey stadium with an AstroTurf pitch which is not up to international standards due to a stand-off. University College Dublin has had to rely on private money to bring its athletics track up to scratch. There is a litany of such issues, including swimming pools which have not been opened or are lying idle. We need a frank and fair discussion about this matter, and I call on the leader to invite Minister of State, Deputy Griffin here as soon as possible.