Vol. 506 No. 3
21 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the responses, if any, received to the advertisements of the Irish Sports Council inviting tenders for the drug testing programme in sport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15491/99]
In February last tenders were invited, in accordance with the EU Services Directive for Laboratory Analysis Services and with public procurement procedures, for sample collection services in the context of the introduction of the national sports anti-doping programme under the auspices of the statutory Sports Council. Responses were required during April.
A total of four submissions were received in respect of the provision of the sample collection service. A further four submissions were received in respect of the provision of laboratory analysis services. All tenders are currently being assessed by a tender assessment board.
The contracting party will be the statutory Irish Sports Council which will be responsible for awarding the relevant contracts. The recommendations of the assessment board will be submitted to the new council immediately upon its establishment which is scheduled for 1 July 1999.
When will decisions be made on these tenders? What start-up time will be allowed for in the contract? When will the first sample from an Irish athlete be taken by a State agency?
Advertisements were placed in the newspapers in February. It takes 52 days under the EU directive and then it takes 90 days for tenders to be set up. The earliest date is 1 July and it would be impossible to do it without setting up the council on a statutory basis. I have been assured that when the Irish Sports Council is established on 1 July its priority will be to examine the tenders for the laboratory analysis services and for the sample collection services. From that date onwards matters will continue to progress.
It is obvious from the reply that despite the lip service the Minister paid to the introduction of a drug testing programme and his macho talk not only about urine but blood sample testing—
A question, please, Deputy.
The sporting year will be almost over before the Minister will deliver.
The Deputy must ask a question.
The Chair is very touchy.
I am not.
The Minister can waffle on all day. Will he state when the first sample will be taken from an Irish athlete by a State agency in this country? Will he give a guaranteed date?
Deputy Allen set up the advisory board one month before he left office and I compliment him on that. The board reported to me in December 1997. I took on board all—
Nearly two years ago.
In the interim I set up the Sports Council on a statutory basis. I was appreciative of the help I received from Deputies as the Bill proceeded through the House.
Very slowly.
It proceeded through the Seanad and, rather than waste time—
It took six months to go through the House.
—I was also dealing with the tender process for the laboratory analysis services. I had to abide by the rules of the EU direc tive. If you place an advertisement in the European journal it takes 52 days—
It should have been placed last year.
You then give 90 days, that is nine months.
It is gross negligence. The Minister should have assumed the Sports Council would have been set up.
The Deputy has been a Member of the House for a long time and he knows the procedure. The Irish Sports Council will be set up on 1 July and this country will have its first anti-doping policy.
When will it be? The Minister is negligent.
It is vital that it is not a mickey mouse type operation. This country will be proud of the tests and procedures.
It is a mickey mouse situation now.
It will stand up to all international testing procedures and programmes. I will not allow the overall future and integrity of the anti-doping programme to be jeopardised by the Deputy and I will not be pressurised by the media or other sources into prematurely commencing a testing system where the necessary quality mechanisms are not in place.
Pressurised – the Minister is being highly negligent by exposing athletes to the vacuum that exists at present. He sat on his hands and did nothing.
When the system is set up the Deputy will be proud of it.
It is obvious the Minister cannot say when the first tests will take place. It is disgraceful. Empty words and no action.
