Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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251. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding discussions on hosting the Rugby World Cup here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30496/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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​Ireland is bidding to host the Rugby World Cup in 2023 and has completed two of the three phases of the bid.  The Applicant Phase was completed on 25 August 2016 with the submission of a Bid Questionnaire and Ireland subsequently qualified to progress to the more intensive Candidate Phase in October 2016.  The formal bid to host the Rugby World Cup, in the form of a Candidate File, was submitted on 1 June 2017.  The Candidate File ran to approximately 1,000 pages setting out responses to over 350 questions asked by World Rugby on a range of topics.  The bidding process is now in the Evaluation Phase and the final decision regarding the winning bidder will be taken by a vote of World Rugby Council in November 2017.

As the Deputy may be aware, I am progressing the Rugby World Cup 2023 Bill 2017 through the Oireachtas at present to enable the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to provide the guarantees and undertakings sought by World Rugby to support the staging of the Rugby World Cup.