Breeda Moynihan-Cronin (Kerry South, Labour)
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Question 39: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the position regarding the development of the proposed National Conference Centre; if he has met with the preferred bidder; the timetable for the construction of the conference centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34812/06]

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 43: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the position regarding the building of the National Conference Centre; the expected dates of commencement and completion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34866/06]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 39 and 43 together.

As I informed the House on 3 October last, in reply to a Written Question, Spencer Dock International Conference Centre Consortium has been appointed Preferred Tenderer for the provision of a National Conference Centre in Dublin. Subsequently, on 18 October last, I was pleased to visit the proposed site for the National Conference Centre at Spencer Dock in Dublin where I was welcomed by the Chairman/CEO of Spencer Dock International Conference Centre Ltd, and had the opportunity to acknowledge the work of those involved, on both sides of the negotiations, in bringing the project to this important stage. As the Deputies are aware, the Centre is being procured under a Public Private Partnership process under the auspices of the Office of Public Works — the Contracting Authority.

During the Preferred Tenderer phase the Consortium is required to develop and provide the full range of project documents for review and approval by the Contracting Authority. The current expectation is that the contract will, subject to Government agreement, be awarded before the end of November. It is envisaged that site enabling and related works in preparation for construction would commence shortly thereafter and that the Centre would be operational in 2009.

I am delighted that a further critical stage in the process of delivering a world-class National Conference Centre for Dublin has been completed and that delivery of another major commitment in the Programme for Government is now in sight, subject, as already indicated, to final agreement of the Government.

On the basis of consultations undertaken earlier by my Department and research reviewed, I am totally convinced of the need for a modern, dedicated National Conference Centre if Ireland is to realise its full potential in the hugely valuable international conference market. According to a number of independent estimates, the National Conference Centre, when fully operational, is expected to generate additional foreign revenue earnings of between €25m and €50m per year.