Vol. 555 No. 5
95 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the latest information available to him on the progress of the proposed joint bid by the FAI and the Scottish FA to host the 2008 European Football Championships; the content and conclusions of discussions he had with the UEFA delegation who recently visited here to assess Ireland's suitability as a venue for the 2008 championship; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19070/02]
As part of the assessment process by UEFA of the seven bids from 14 countries to host the finals of the 2008 European Football Championships, the UEFA inspection team has now visited all 14 of the applicant countries to assess their general suitability for hosting this prestigious event. The UEFA team visited Ireland on 16 September where it attended a number of meetings at which presentations were made in areas such as security, tourism, transport, stadia and football. During the course of the day the Taoiseach and I met with the team and assured it of this Government's continued support and commitment to the joint bid. At the end of its inspection, UEFA declared itself happy with the visit, stating that all its requirements and expectations were met.
The decision as to which of the bidding countries will host the 2008 European Football Championships finals will be made by UEFA at its meeting on 12 and 13 December next.
