Vol. 618 No. 1
59 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he has received the report on the provision of a national institute of sport from the Irish Sports Council; when it will be put in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15382/06]
As the Deputy is aware, one of the key recommendations of the Athens review, which was published last year, was that the structures necessary to establish an Irish institute of sport should be put in place to deliver optimal support services for Olympic and Paralympic athletes and sports. It was envisaged that the institute would form the basis of a long-term and sustainable high performance infrastructure, taking into account the experiences of and expertise within the National Coaching and Training Centre, which is based in the University of Limerick. The recent report of the Joint Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Ireland and the Olympics: From Athens to London, also recommended that such an institute should be established as a priority. At my request, the Irish Sports Council, with the assistance of a technical expert group and an advisory expert group, has developed proposals for the establishment of such an institute. The expert groups comprised international experts in sports science and medicine with experience in the development of the concept of an institute. I have received the Irish Sports Council's proposals. The Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism is involved in discussions with the council with a view to teasing out the issues involved. I intend to bring proposals in this regard to the Government in the near future.
I am enthusiastic about the potential of the proposed institute of sport to become a source of real support for Ireland's elite athletes. If the institute makes available the best emerging technology, sport science and sport medicine to those athletes, it will bring this country's support system into line with that available to the athletes' counterparts elsewhere. The existing providers of specialist supports to elite performers will have a key role in the new structure. Significant progress has been made in the development of a high performance system in Ireland in recent years. Increased levels of funding have been made available, specific programmes of support have been put in place and national and regional training centres have been constructed. The Irish Sports Council's budget has increased by over 210% since its establishment, from €13.2 million in its first full year of operation in 2000 to €40.9 million in 2006. The additional funding being provided to the council this year includes €1 million to meet the costs associated with establishing the proposed institute in 2006.
The proposal in the Athens review that a national institute of sport should be established was supported by the high-performance strategy group in December 2001, the joint committee in its report of 2005 and many other commentators. I am sure the Minister will agree that such an institute is needed if we are to ensure that our elite athletes can compete on a level playing pitch at the Olympic Games and other international events. Well developed institutes of sport are in place in countries such as New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom, which are getting the results at international level. Will the Minister consider seriously the designation of the National Coaching and Training Centre in Limerick as the national institute of sport? The institute could have a hub in Dublin, at UCD or DCU, and nodes in other parts of the country, including Cork and Galway. The work of the institute should link with that of the institute of sport in Northern Ireland.
The Minister is familiar with the details of the proposal and I understand that money has been earmarked. He needs to appoint the necessary experts in the areas of sports science and sports medicine. Will the Minister give the House a commitment that the new institute of sport will be based in Limerick? Will he provide the resources to enable the necessary expertise to be identified and the appropriate international people to be hired so that the project can be pursued as soon as possible? The institute is needed if our athletes are to prepare properly for Beijing and London.
The Deputy has correctly stated that the establishment of an institute of sport has been recommended by a number of bodies. There is no point in seeking to establish such an institute unless the funding for it is available and, happily, I have secured the funding for this year. Therefore, the institute of sport will be established. I will have to bring a proposal to the Government very quickly. The country has been waiting for an institute of sport. It is fair to say that our elite athletes are at a disadvantage compared to their counterparts elsewhere because such an institute is not in place. We intend to correct that now. As I said in my initial reply, the existing providers of specialist supports to elite performers will have key roles in the institute. The National Coaching and Training Centre in Limerick has provided valuable support to our elite athletes in recent years. The proposed development at Abbotstown and the existing national and regional training centres will be integral parts of the institute. The Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Irish Sports Council are developing the specific format of the institute in line with the proposals of the report of the advisory group.
I wish to make the case for the location of the institute in Limerick. The Munster rugby team is successful because it has availed of the top-class facilities offered by the National Coaching and Training Centre in Limerick. If one wishes to make the case for Limerick strongly, I am sure the Munster team can be seen as a barometer in that regard.
60 Mr. O’Shea asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he intends to publish the independent report into drugs testing in the greyhound industry that was carried out by Mr. Tim Dalton; the main findings and recommendations of the report; the action he plans to take; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15370/06]
62 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he has received the Dalton report on Bord na gCon; if he intends to publish the findings of the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15391/06]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 60 and 62 together.
I received the independent report into matters relating to Bord na gCon from Mr. Tim Dalton on 5 April last. As Deputies are aware, on 1 February last I appointed Mr. Dalton, who is a former Secretary General of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, to carry out an investigation into issues relating to corporate management in Bord na gCon, as well as the management of positive tests for banned substances. I am considering the contents of the report in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, following which I will consult my Cabinet colleagues before I decide on the further action that will need to be taken, including the arrangements for the publication of the report. I do not intend to make any further comment on the matter until this process has been completed.
Will the Minister confirm that an outside public relations consultant was employed, at a cost of €20,000, to assist with a press conference that was held at Shelbourne Park in early February? Is the matter dealt with in Mr. Dalton's report? Does the Minister approve of expenditure of that nature?
I said that I do not intend to comment at this point on what is or is not contained in Mr. Dalton's report. I also said that I intend to complete my consultations with the Office of the Attorney General on the matter before bringing it to the attention of my Government colleagues. All I will say about the matter raised by Deputy O'Shea is that, as he is aware, I have asked all parties involved in this matter to desist from public comment.
The Minister asked Mr. Dalton to investigate the issue of the control of doping. According to a number of leaks in various newspapers, it has been proposed that this aspect of Bord na gCon's responsibility should be transferred to an independent agency. The provisions of the Greyhound Industry (Doping Regulation) Bill 2006, which I introduced some time ago, are in line with the proposals I made when I was a Minister of State in 1996. This problem would not arise if I was still in office because suitable legislation would be in place. Given that it seems Mr. Dalton has recommended that responsibility for the control of doping should be taken from Bord na gCon, will the Minister consider accepting my Bill if I introduce it in Private Members' time?
I assure the Deputy that all the issues dealt with in Mr. Dalton's report, which will be published in due course, will be debated in the House or in a committee of the House. I have said from the outset that everybody involved in this matter will receive due process. The Deputy will understand why I do not intend to depart from that promise at this late juncture.
To the best of my recollection, the press conference about which I asked took place after the Minister appointed Mr. Dalton to investigate this matter. Was Mr. Dalton asked to deal with the issue of the press conference and any costs relating to it? Did he deal with those issues in his report?
It is my intention to have the report published. All the questions Deputy O'Shea asked will then, hopefully, be answered. On the press conference, the Deputy will be aware that I stated at the time that people should desist from public comment pending completion of the investigation by Mr. Dalton. That was my position then and is, still. Everybody involved will receive due process. It is necessary that this happens.
Will the Minister publish the report as soon as possible because there is major uncertainty within the industry? As the Minister knows, it is very important to protect the credibility of this flourishing industry, to publish the report as soon as possible and to take the necessary action. He will have the support of this side of the House.
My intention is to publish the report when the consultative process has been completed and when it has been brought to Government. I assure Deputy Deenihan it will be published at the earliest date available after that.
61 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he will make a submission to Fingal County Council regarding the lands at Abbotstown and the county council study to determine a suitable mix of sporting and appropriate commercial, leisure and amenity uses in order to create a vibrant and sustainable sports campus; and if he will investigate the possibility of opening up these lands for recreational use for the residents of the greater Blanchardstown area. [15403/06]
In November 2005 the Government gave its assent to the commencement of phase one of development of the national sports campus at Abbotstown. The estimated cost of the project is €119 million with a four to five year delivery schedule, 2006-10.
To obtain guidance on the planning issues involved in such a major project, Campus and Stadium Ireland Development, CSID, met Fingal County Council and was advised that the lands in question were specifically mentioned in the county development plan. The precise text in the plan is:
To undertake a study to determine a suitable mix of sporting and appropriate commercial, leisure, and amenity uses in order to create a vibrant and sustainable sports campus. This study shall also investigate the possibility of opening up these lands for recreation use for the residents of the greater Blanchardstown area.
In the course of the discussions with Fingal County Council the idea of approaching the matter by means of an inter-agency study emerged. My Department requested the assistance of the Office of Public Works, as its technical adviser in project development matters, to bring its expertise to bear in the preparation of the study. As a consequence, a group chaired by the Office of Public Works and consisting of representatives of my Department, the Departments of Finance and Agriculture and Food, the OPW, CSID and Fingal Country Council has been established and has now commenced work on the study. CSID has already had ongoing general discussions with Fingal County Council on planning and zoning issues.
I expect that the study will require a period of months to be completed. In the meantime I do not wish to pre-empt its outcome by further comment. I look forward to receiving its recommendations in due course.
I do not want the Minister to pre-empt the outcome of the study, but I would like him to elaborate on the development of the Abbotstown lands from the viewpoint of having them opened as a residential amenity for residents of the greater Blanchardstown and wider area. Does the Minister agree that greater Blanchardstown is growing at an unprecedented rate, with thousands of residential units being built in a very short space of time? There is enormous pressure for public open space and a great need for recreational facilities. Is he aware of an adjoining massive development, at Tyrellstown, of 2,000 homes, opened for the first time only four years ago, with not an acre of "Class 1" open space? Incredibly the county council let the developer off with a cash contribution and now land, as a result of the speculators' unbridled greed, cannot be bought for an enormous conglomeration such as that. Could this situation not be ameliorated if the lands at Abbotstown were opened as part of a plan for recreational facilities for the community in the greater Blanchardstown area? I would like to hear the Minister's views on this and those of his Department.
I understand how Deputy Joe Higgins might be concerned about this issue, since he is a representative for the area. The need for an inter-agency study arose from the commitment in the Fingal county development plan to undertake such an exercise. The aim is that all the planning and development issues and options should be considered by a group comprising the relevant experts and representatives and I have outlined who they are. The involvement of the Departments of Finance and Agriculture and Food neatly brings together all of the agencies with responsibility for involvement in developing the site. Outside expertise will also be employed, where necessary. It really is best to await the outcome of this study before deciding precisely on how to move forward. Incidentally, in that context it is intended that the study should set out an agreed set of proposals, if possible, which would be put forward for consultation and agreement by Fingal local authority representatives. There is no question of the Minister or the Department superimposing their will on anybody. There will be full consultation after the set of proposals is prepared. That is a reasonable stance.
I hope the Minister and his Department will consider the proposal positively. When I was first elected to Dublin County Council, as it was in 1991, there was a proposal for a regional park for greater Blanchardstown, comprising those lands. Unfortunately, the Department of Agriculture and Food blocked that at every hand's turn and the people of Blanchardstown did not get their regional park. There is a great need for both active and passive recreational space in the greater Blanchardstown area, for family groups, individuals and young people. I ask the Minister and his Department when participating in the discussions, to be proactive towards ensuring that those facilities can be made available for the residents of greater Blanchardstown.
I assure the Deputy that the views of the local people, through their representatives, will be fully taken into account. Neither I nor the Department wish to superimpose our will. We will be proactive in seeking to accommodate where we can possibly do so. I am really pleased that the sports campus will get under way this year. That will please the people in the general locality as well. It is necessary and important that their views are taken into account and implemented where possible.
Question No. 62 answered with QuestionNo. 60.
Question No. 63 withdrawn.
