The Minister of State will be very aware of Morton Stadium in Santry which is very close to his electoral area. Most Members will be aware of Morton Stadium as the venue where we have seen top athletes like Sonia O'Sullivan in many international events. It is the venue where all our young athletes aspire to compete but it is under serious threat at present as Fingal County Council proposes closing the stadium in January due to lack of funding from the Minister of State's Department.
In 1993 an agreement was made between Dublin County Council, Dublin City Council, Clonliffe Harriers and the Minister's Department. After the break-up of Dublin County Council it was agreed that Fingal County Council would manage the day to day running of the stadium, including maintenance, but funding would come from the sports section of the Department of Education, which has since become the Department of Arts, Tourism and Sport, as well as the Dublin local authorities. The Minister of State's Department was to pay one third of the ongoing running costs.
The Minister of State should explain why he has reneged on making those payments. The last payment received from the Department was in 1998, so its current bill stands at €277,525. We – and the stadium management – in Fingal County Council find it hard to take that, despite numerous letters and contacts requesting clarification on the issue, not even a letter has been forthcoming from the Department. This is shabby to say the least as Fingal County Council must cover the costs the Department has not paid. There are many other matters in which Fingal County Council could be engaged and people would not be pleased to know some works were not being done because of a lack of funding due to money being unavailable from the Minister of State's Department.
In addition, I was present in 1999 when the then Minister, Deputy McDaid, came to Santry and announced an indoor athletics facility for Santry that would cost £4.8 million. He told Fingal County Council to go ahead and carry out a feasibility study for the indoor facility and other associated works. The work cost €1.4 million but none of that has been recouped, although the feasibility study was sanctioned and presented to the Department. However, since then, nothing has been agreed with the Department in terms of a payment schedule and whether the council should seek tenders. I ask if the Minister of State is serious about providing this indoor athletics track and if the money will be forthcoming. The council has already spent €1.4 million on a feasibility study and plans for the indoor facility and I ask if this can be recouped from the Department.
Morton Stadium will be one of the venues for the Special Olympics next year. The council must make preparations and €500,000 will be required to provide basic facilities. Fingal County Council is not prepared to spend that money unless the Department supports the venture. The manager of the county council presented a report last Monday. It was the first that any of us knew about these matters and that the Department has been reneging on its commitments. The manager's report was accepted by all the councillors. The report stated that Morton Stadium will be closed on 1 January if this issue is not sorted out.
I am very disappointed that we have reached this stage but I am confident that we will have the assistance of the Minister of State and of the Ahern family. Councillor Maurice Ahern was Lord Mayor of Dublin and he is also chairman of Clonliffe Harriers Athletics Club which uses Santry. The Minister of State, Deputy Noel Ahern, represents the area. The Ahern family has a great responsibility for this area and we want something done without delay.