Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to express my condolences to Senator Currie and her family on the tragic loss of her dad. Obviously this is a very traumatic time for her and her family, and I would like to be associated with the kind tributes that have been uttered about him here in this House.

I wish to refer to the significant proposal to stage a major yacht race, as part of the America's Cup, that is hoped to come to the southern half of Ireland in 2024. It would be the third biggest sporting event in Ireland in 2024 and would have a huge knock-on effect on the tourism industry as it would bring anything up to 2.5 million visitors to Ireland who would have a proposed spend of anything up to €750 million. The event has the potential to be the biggest event ever to take place here and the knock-on effects for Ireland would be huge. The event would safeguard the tourism industry for 2024. We do not know how the world economy is going to go and this event will act as an insurance policy by creating a boom in our tourism industry in 2024.

The clock is ticking and we need to make a decision. We need to make sure that we are in the race to host the event but for that to happen the Government will need to make a decision. I ask the Deputy Leader, in particular, to contact the office of the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin, about the event as it has the potential to change lives and the economy. As the event would ensure that the southern side of Ireland would have a very prosperous 2024 we must make sure that the Government gets on board with the idea and makes a decision in the appropriate timeline. I believe from now until the end of the year is the appropriate time to make the decision and we should avail of the opportunity. Ireland has moved from being one of 30 contenders to one of three contenders to host the event . We need to make sure that we finish the race but for that to happen the Government needs to step up and deliver. I ask the Deputy Leader to contact the Minister about the issue in good time. It is appropriate for us to debate the issue and I ask that the Deputy Leader invites the Minister to come here, in the next few weeks, to discuss her view of the proposal to stage a leg of the America's Cup and whether she will put the full support of the Government behind the proposal.