Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Question 665: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his policy on developing a national sports campus at Abbotstown, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14092/12]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Question 693: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide a detailed breakdown of the land usage at the national sports campus site at Abbotstown, Dublin. [14343/12]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 665 and 693 together.

At its meeting on 21 June 2011, the Government approved my proposals for the development of the National Sports Campus at Abbotstown/Blanchardstown on an incremental basis.

I have asked the Campus Authority to continue to pursue the policy of developing elements of the Development Control Plan in partnership with the GAA, FAI, IRFU and Irish Hockey Association, as well as developing its own community and training pitches on site.

As provided for in Section 7 (8) of the National Sports Campus Development Authority Act, 2006, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food is currently finalising the transfer of the land to the NSCDA. Abbotstown House is a protected structure under the Fingal County Development Plan. I believe that Abbotstown House would benefit from having an anchor tenant and that the Irish Sports Council would be an ideal tenant in this regard. This matter is being examined by the NSCDA in consultation with the ISC and the OPW.

In parallel with the core National Sports Campus project, the Campus Authority is also continuing its strategy of redeveloping and refurbishing existing buildings on the Abbotstown site for use by the wider sporting community, in particular the National Governing Bodies of Sport. The OPW has awarded a contract for the refurbishment of the former Marine Institute Building as the Sports HQ. It is expected that work on the project will commence in the coming weeks and will be completed in the Autumn.

I have asked the National Sports Campus Development Authority (NSCDA) to proceed with the development of a National Indoor Training Arena, which would include an Indoor Track. I am acutely aware of the difficulty of securing capital funding from the Exchequer because of the financial difficulties facing the Government. I have, therefore, asked the Campus Authority to explore other avenues of funding such as philanthropy and/or sale of some of the land. A copy of the Masterplan for the National Sports Campus is published on the Authority's website www.nscda.ie.