Vol. 483 No. 6
455 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if he will give details of the proposals, if any, which he has received to date in 1997 regarding a National Conference Centre; and the terms of the competition which he intends to conduct. [21587/97]
The Operational Programme for Tourism 1994-99 makes provision for European Regional Development Fund support for a large dedicated conference centre capable of handling up to 2,000 delegates to be located in Dublin. The new tender procedure for a National Conference Centre, which is being conducted in accordance with the EU Council Directive 93/37/EEC, is being organised by Bord Fáilte under the aegis of the independent management board for product development.
The full tender procedure notice was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities on 13 September 1997. The notice was also published in the Irish daily newspapers on 16 September. It invited applicants to submit requests to participate in the tender procedure by 5 p.m. on Monday, 20 October. Bord Fáilte received 12 responses within the deadline set for receipt of applications to tender. On 31 October 1997, invitation to tender documentation was dispatched by Bord Fáilte to seven qualified applicants, six of whom confirmed their intentions to submit full tenders before the deadline set, 14 November, for so doing. These six applicants, who will be responsible for providing a site for the proposed development, have three months to submit their tenders, that is by the end of January next year, following which the tenders will be assessed.
