Vol. 499 No. 4
154 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the number of meetings he has had with the Football Association of Ireland, the Irish Rugby Football Union and the Gaelic Athletic Association regarding a common policy on national stadia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2859/99]
On 2 October 1997 I had a formal meeting with the Football Association of Ireland during which certain matters relating to the future of that sport were discussed, including issues such as event planning, restructuring, etc. No specific requests for similar meetings have been made by either the Gaelic Athletic Association or the Irish Rugby Football Union. However, I frequently meet with senior representatives of these organisations at sports and social events.
On 13 October of last year, the Government agreed to the commissioning of a feasibility study for the development of a national stadium, and to the establishment of a stadium steering committee to conduct the feasibility study and to make recommendations based on the findings of the study.
The steering committee is chaired by Mr. Derek Keogh and includes representatives from major sporting organisations, including the FAI, the GAA and the IRFU, as well as representatives from the private sector and a number of Government Departments. Through this process, the major sporting organisations will be in a position to bring their own particular perspectives to bear.
The committee will be overseeing the preparation of a feasibility study which will address the issues necessary for the Government to make an early decision on the matter. A process to select experts to carry out the study is now under way and it is expected that the finalised study and the steering committee's recommendations on it will be available for consideration by the Government by September 1999.
