asked the Minister for Education if he intends to make any financial contribution towards the provision of a much needed tartan track at the Morton Stadium, Santry, Dublin; and whether he proposes to discuss with Clonliffe Harriers the urgency of developing the stadium to help satisfy the requirements of athletes from Dublin and elsewhere.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Stadium Development.
28.
I have not received any proposals from Clonliffe Harriers in regard to these matters and am not accordingly in a position to make a statement about them.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary be interested in such proposals? Would he accept that late in 1972 and early in 1973 there were at least tentative discussions in this regard with Clonliffe Harriers?
I do not think there were tentative discussions in respect of a tartan track. There were discussions dating from 1970 with Clonliffe Harriers in respect of various facilities and money amounting to a total of £16,000 has been paid over the years to what is a private club, Clonliffe Harriers, in respect of various improvements at their grounds. However, there is now a proposal which is being implemented to provide a tartan track at Belfield and it is hoped that this will cater for the needs in the area.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary accept that the question refers to a tartan track and the urgency of developing this stadium to help to satisfy the requirements of athletes and that it is wrong to say that no discussions had taken place with Clonliffe Harriers in that regard because they have taken place? They took place between Clonliffe Harriers and myself.
The Deputy would be in the best position to say what he himself discussed with various parties but my information is that the discussions in general related to improvements at Clonliffe which were financed substantially out of public funds.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary indicate how he thinks the needs of young athletes from Finglas, Ballymun, Baldoyle, Coolock and Cabra would be satisfied by the construction of a tartan track at Belfield?
In the same manner as the needs of athletes from any other part of the country. The tartan track is a very expensive facility and we are providing one such facility in Dublin and that is something that never existed before in this country. I think in view of the present financial situation we are doing very well in doing that.
Mr. R. Burke
Is it not a fact that the track that was in Belfield was already an all-weather track and that what is being done is merely replacing one all-weather track with a more refined type of all-weather track, called a tartan track?
The tartan track is considered the best one for international competition. In Belfield there already exist foundations which were laid for this other track and if one were to provide this tartan track at any other location in the absence of those foundations it would cost an extra £100,000 over what it will cost to provide that facility at Belfield and so, obviously, Belfield is the right place from a cost point of view to provide this facility.
Mr. R. Burke
No consideration for the people, just the cost.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary not agree that the department of physical recreation and sport for which he has responsibility has dwindled from what it once was and that it is now playing no role that bears any resemblance to that to which was originally intended for it other than to dispense the allocations given each year to certain clubs and the Parliamentary Secretary then washes his hands of any further——
The Deputy is extending the scope of the question.
Far more money is being made available than was ever made available in the tenure of office of the previous Government——
That is not true.
——towards sport and recreation. The Department is involved more fully than ever before in detailed discussions in respect of the needs of each individual sport. Far more information is being gathered than ever before from each of these sports and there is more close surveillance of their activities than ever before.
Question No. 29 postponed.