Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 222: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism when he expects progress to be made on phase one of the national sports campus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33162/08]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Following the completion of the move by the FAI to the former State Laboratory building at Abbotstown last year, work has been advanced on providing a headquarters for the Irish Institute of Sport. This involves refurbishing an existing building on the Abbotstown site. Construction is expected to commence shortly and the Irish Institute of Sport is expected to move into its new HQ in early 2009. Following the appointment by the NSCDA in April last of Project Management and Design Teams, detailed plans for Phase 1 of the Campus are being prepared and it is estimated that an application for Planning Permission will be lodged with Fingal County Council before the end of 2008.

The facilities planned for the first phase of the project include:

A National Field Sports Training Centre catering for rugby, soccer, Gaelic games and hockey;

A multi-sport National Indoor Training Centre which will provide world class training facilities for over 20 sports;

Sports science and medical facilities;

Accommodation for sports men and women; and

All-weather synthetic pitches for community recreational access.

Proposals for further new types of facilities will be considered in the context of later phases of the Campus project and will be subject to economic conditions and the prevailing public finances.