Vol. 568 No. 3
1 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if his officials have completed their evaluation of the OVE Arup report on the five possible sites for a new stadium for rugby and soccer; the definite date for a Government decision on the most suitable site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16247/03]
5 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism when he expects that a decision will be made on the location of the proposed new national stadium; if he has brought specific proposals to Government on this matter; the estimated timescale for the completion of such a development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16246/03]
63 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if, in view of the Government's previously expressed commitment to the development of a national stadium, and the recently commissioned Office of Public Works report, he will recommend to the Government that the aforementioned national stadium be constructed at Abbotstown, particularly in view of the report's finding that the projected cost of construction for Abbotstown will represent a saving of ?75 million; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16243/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1, 5 and 63 together.
The IRFU and the FAI, in response to an earlier invitation from me to set out their prioritised proposals for stadium development, presented a report to me on 29 April in which they identified five options for meeting their requirement for modern stadium accommodation to host major international fixtures in the greater Dublin area. The report evaluated the pros and cons associated with stadium development at each of the following locations: Lansdowne Road, the IRFU-owned site at Newlands Cross, Abbotstown, the former Irish Glass Bottle Company site and a site at Sillogue, north Dublin, but did not indicate a preference for a particular location.
This report has been subjected to detailed examination over the past six weeks by the Office of Public Works, which is the Department's professional adviser for this project. The Office of Public Works in turn commissioned advice from private sector construction consultants, Davis Langdon PKS, to ensure that all aspects of the proposal were thoroughly evaluated. It also met the FAI-IRFU advisers for the purposes of clarifying elements of the proposal.
I understand that the Office of Public Works report is now nearing finality and should be transmitted to my Department by the end of this month. Until the Office of Public Works report is to hand and I have had an opportunity of considering its implications, it would be inappropriate for me to engage in premature speculation as to its contents or indeed to respond to purely speculative material which appeared in a newspaper article last week.
As previously indicated, when the evaluation of the FAI-IRFU proposal has been completed, I will present my conclusions and recommendations to the Government in the context of an overall report on all options for the provision of state-of-the-art stadium facilities for major sporting events. The report will also incorporate my evaluation of expressions of interest received in the procurement of a privately-funded stadium at Abbotstown. I do not intend to make any further statement on this matter until the Government has decided on the further action to be taken.
Will the Minister refute headlines which have appeared in a number of the national newspapers recently, including one stating that the new stadium plan is axed as the Progressive Democrats baulked at the €500 million cost? Will he also refute the various statements, mostly speculative, which have been made in the newspapers recently about the national stadium? Does he agree that but for the meddling of the Government and the Taoiseach, we would now have Eircom Park rather than offering the FAI a phantom stadium? If the Government had supported the FAI and provided it with funding, Eircom Park would have been completed and we would have watched the match last night in Eircom Park rather than in Lansdowne Road.
The IRFU deserves better treatment given that it paid €500,000 for the OVE Arup report which the Minister is now assessing. A statement should be made and there should be clarity. The time for dithering, spinning, posturing and procrastination is over. It is now decision time. When will the Minister make a detailed proposal to Government? When will Government make a decision? This has been going on for almost four years and the organisations in question and the public deserve to know where the Government stands on this important national issue.
There is little point in me raking over old coals or going into the history of this matter, which is well known. I have not brought my proposals on the provision of a new stadium to the Government. In those circumstances, it could not be the case that the Government rejected such a proposal. As I said, I await the report which I expect from the Government's technical advisers in the near future. After we have received that report, we will examine it in detail and then prepare a memorandum which will go before the Government. It will be a matter for the Government to decide whether the proposals stand or fall.
It is not true to say that up to now meddling, as Deputy Deenihan describes it, has prevented the construction of a stadium. The FAI would not have the financial wherewithal to build a stadium on its own. The truth is that when asked for a contribution, the FAI and the IRFU between them were able to come up with a total of €120 million which, on the basis of all known cost factors, would go nowhere near building a stadium even if €50 million was added by the Government.
The IRFU has not been badly treated. It was requested to look at its plans and priorities, as was the FAI, and to report back, which it did through the OVE Arup report. This report is being examined by the Government's technical advisers. As I said, I expect to hear from them in the not too distance future.
I do not know why Deputy Deenihan believes there has been dithering. He knows the history of the matter.
The Minister must not have been around for a while.
What will happen now is that the proposals will be put before the Government for a decision. The Government will then make a decision in its own time and wisdom. It is of immense importance in that context that the sporting considerations of not only participants and potential participants but of spectators are taken into account. It is important we do not underestimate the value of sport to society. As a former Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform I am well aware that it is no coincidence that where sport thrived, there was less crime. Sometimes one hears people say that we must give more to health and to tackling crime and less to sport but I think that misses the point. Where one has decent sports facilities, one has less crime and a healthier population.
At the meeting this morning on the Estimates, I said it was time for everyone to get off the fence on this new stadium and I reiterate that here. We have seen all the reports in the newspapers and so on but having listened to the Minister this morning and again this afternoon and having reflected on previous questions in the House, I understood that the 23 consortia which expressed an interest in providing a stadium in Abbotstown had been ruled out of the equation. I find it a bit disturbing to hear today that they are still in the equation.
A positive approach has been taken by the new president of Cumann Lúthchleas Gael in relation to the opening of Croke Park. Have there been any formal or informal meetings which him since he took up his post in this regard? He certainly seems to have a positive view towards seeing what can happen in that regard. Given the timescale in terms of the provision of a new stadium, the positive approach taken by the new president and the fact the GAA has a facility in Croke Park, would it not be appropriate to make representations to him to see if we can provide a facility for the two associations in the short term, so that they can overcome the problems they face? I know there are problems in terms of the agreements the GAA has reached with residents' associations and so on.
During the Question Time on which I last had the opportunity to question the Minister, I asked about the £50 million contribution to a national stadium promised by J. P. McManus. What is the position on this funding? Does it depend on the stadium being situated in Abbotstown?
After we had assessed the private expressions of interest, I indicated that many of them had conditions attached which I described as unsatisfactory. I have stated on many occasions that there could be no question of any company, person or group of persons making a killing at the taxpayers' expense, and that remains the position. However, it would not be possible for me to rule out the 23 expressions of interest on my own – only the Government could do that. The expressions of interest will be considered in the context of the memorandum which will be brought before the Government.
The GAA president has indicated that he favours opening Croke Park to other sports events. However, a vote by the GAA congress would still be required. I would broadly welcome a positive vote by the congress. However, nobody should be under the illusion that opening Croke Park to other sports will resolve the stadium problem because it will not. There are problems regarding the overlapping of fixtures, residents' objections, floodlighting and obtaining planning permission to play other sports in the stadium.
We have not had any formal discussions with Mr. McManus regarding his generous offer of £50 million for the simple reason that we have not been in a position to put forward a positive proposal to him. When we can do so, we will certainly enter into negotiations with him to discuss the enormous contribution he has signalled he is willing to make if circumstances are favourable.
The cost of Eircom Park would have amounted to about €100 million. Is it possible to stop the spin in the newspapers and leaks from Government until a decision is made? I know the Minister cannot give a guarantee in this respect. There seems to be spin emerging from the Progressive Democrats side of the Government almost on a weekly basis regarding its attitude towards the stadium. It is not doing the credibility of the stadium any good whatsoever. A decision is needed from Government on whether it will build on a new site or go ahead with the refurbishment of Lansdowne Road, which is my preferred option and that of Fine Gael.
Would it not be appropriate if the Minister arranged a meeting between the three main sports organisations – the GAA, FAI and IRFU – to discuss the national facilities needed in the future? This meeting should have no agenda or preconditions other than to consider the interests of sport in Ireland. Such a meeting might help to eliminate some of the obstacles to which the Minister has referred.
It is clear to everybody that it would not be possible for me to comment definitively on whether there has been spin on the part of the Progressive Democrats. I will not indulge in speculation on that issue. The proposals have not yet been brought before Government but when they are, it will make a decision. I appreciate the consistent support of the two main Opposition spokespersons and their respective parties for the stadium. It is important that a stadium is provided.
I would not benefit from a meeting with the three sports organisations to discuss a stadium given that I do not have concrete proposals to put to them. I had exploratory talks, as I have already outlined. The imperative is to consider the OVE Arup report in detail, ascertain the views of the consultants that the Government's technical advisers have employed with a view to obtaining an evaluation, put the memorandum before the Government and determine how to make progress thereafter.
Does the Minister have the specific date on which the memorandum will go to Government? What is the timescale for a Government decision after its having received it? It is urgent that clarity be provided after four years of procrastination and posturing. The Minister, Deputy O'Donoghue, has been in charge of this project only for the past year and I accept his bona fides but it is important that the memorandum go to Government and that it make a decision immediately.
I do not want to tie myself to a timescale at this stage but I recognise the need to get the memorandum to Government as soon as possible. It is important to point out that there seems to be a consensus that there is a requirement for the building of a new stadium. The position of the FAI and the IRFU in particular is now untenable. We know that FIFA has told the FAI that it cannot continue to use temporary seating at Lansdowne Road indefinitely. It wants some idea from the FAI on how it will resolve this problem. The IRFU is losing out on a considerable sum of money in the order of €2.5 million with each international home game because it does not have sufficient capacity. There is no question but that there is a problem to be resolved.
It is clear that the building of a new stadium has the support of the main Opposition parties. I have expressed my view on the matter on several occasions and the item was put on the national agenda by the Taoiseach. I sincerely hope we are in a position to provide a stadium.
