Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 13: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism his entire plans for the provision of sporting or other stadia; his plans for the National Stadium Ireland site at Abbotstown and other locations throughout the country in respect of which sporting and recreational projects of a similar scale are contemplated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5270/05]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The past seven years have seen a substantial investment by this Government in Irish sport with a total of €628 million spent on sport, much of this to support the development of a new sporting infrastructure across Ireland.

While the sports capital programme administered by my Department has been enormously beneficial to local sports clubs and community groups throughout the country, a considerable share of the 4,271 projects allocated funding since 1997 were large-scale projects meeting sporting needs at regional and national level. Some of the major projects supported in recent years have included the redevelopment of Croke Park stadium; the national boxing stadium in Dublin; the national hockey stadium at UCD, Dublin; the new national rowing centre at Inniscarra, County Cork; Ireland's new golf academy in Maynooth and Tennis Ireland's new national centre at Glasnevin.

It is worth noting, that in this period, grants were also provided under the programme towards essential safety works and the refurbishment of 24 GAA county grounds, 17 Eircom league grounds and the rugby provincial grounds in Connacht, Munster and Leinster.

In recent years many regional sports centres have also benefited from grants allocated under the sports capital programme in locations such as Athlone, Bray, Navan, Ballina and Ennis, to name a few. Many of these facilities are also being part funded through my Department's local authority swimming pool programme, which has been in operation since 1999. Under this programme, grants of up to €3.8 million are made available towards either the refurbishment of existing pools or the provision of a new pool. Since 2000, 55 swimming projects have or are being dealt with under the programme. Some 15 swimming pool projects have been completed, most recently Finglas in Dublin and Grove Island in Limerick. Since 2000, €46 million has been spent on public swimming pools under this programme with construction currently underway on further swimming pool projects in ten locations around the country.

In addition my Department has also funded the provision of 50 m pools at the University of Limerick and the National Aquatic Centre, Abbotstown. In January 2004 to the Government decided to contribute €191 million towards the cost of a new stadium at Lansdowne Road. It will meet all the current international standards for rugby and soccer and the pitch area will be of sufficient size to accommodate both GAA codes. A formal legal agreement has been signed between the Department of Arts Sports and Tourism, the IRFU and the FAI in relation to the procurement of the project. A special purpose company, the Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company, LRSDC, was established last year and a project director has been appointed to manage the project. A steering group, chaired by the Secretary General of the Department, has been set up with representatives of the IRFU, the FAI, the OPW and the Departments of Finance and Arts, Sport and Tourism. Tenders for the appointment of a design team and a project management team are currently being evaluated by the company.

In tandem with that decision the Government also decided to proceed with the development of a sports campus on the State owned lands at Abbotstown. Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Limited, CSID, following a consultative process with sporting organisations has drawn up proposals for the development of a sports campus there. It is my intention to present proposals to the Government shortly on the development of a campus at Abbotstown.

It is my intention to bring to Government in the very near future a proposal for a cross-departmental approach long-term strategic planning of investment in sporting infrastructure for the future. The proposed strategy will aim to ensure that an agreed and integrated approach is adopted to planning, funding, provision and management of sports facilities by the current main funding bodies in this area. The proposed strategy will look at the range and need for sporting facilities across the country, including key major facilities, and produce recommendations on priorities for future funding.