Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I ask that the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and the Minister of State from that Department come to the House for a debate on the criteria we as a nation use to select how we bid for the hosting of sporting events. I do so conscious Ireland withdrew from the bid to host the Americas Cup, which is a prestigious race. The decision is a shortsighted one and a missed opportunity. If there had been resolve from the Taoiseach and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to get this event to Ireland then it might have happened. Surely the return from staging the world's highest-profile yacht race far outweighs any investment needed beforehand. This would have been of major benefit for the entire southern region and the country generally rather than just for Cork. We know my colleague the Minister, Deputy Coveney, championed the bid and I congratulate him for that. Did the Taoiseach and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, who are both Cork Cabinet Members, not think it was worth persisting with? If so, why not, when much of the proposed investment in development, infrastructure and public realm enhancement were already signposted and flagged in many different Government announcements? The Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, needs to come to the House to explain whether there were not enough resources from the Department dedicated towards it.

I understand the argument can be made it would require significant expenditure and that Government money is tight. That is absolute rubbish. One must invest to get a return. Every business model for proposed bids to host sporting events shows that. In this case the legacy, for a myriad of reasons, would have been of gargantuan significance in the enhancement of Ireland's reputation around the world as a place to visit and to do business. It was a huge missed opportunity. We have suffered two hard years for tourism, the aviation sector and events around the country and the world due to the pandemic. The Americas Cup would have announced the wind is back in the sails of all of us in Cork.