Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 October 2018
199. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will publish the minutes of his recent meeting with representatives of a tour (details supplied) in Paris; his plans to hold further meetings with the tour and persons who own suitable venues here regarding future events; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42582/18]
View answerThe Ryder Cup, when hosted in Europe, is a three day golf tournament organised by one of the governing bodies for golf in Europe, the European Tour.
The European Tour recently conveyed their wish to discuss the possible hosting of a future Ryder Cup in Ireland and sought a meeting with me to discuss same. Along with officials from my Department, I attended meetings with representatives of the European Tour on 30 September 2018 at the Ryder Cup in Paris and viewed the event infrastructure and facilities. My officials have since had further discussions in regard to the event with the European Tour and more meetings are planned.
I do not propose to publish the departmental note of the 30 September meeting. Discussions with the European Tour are at a very early stage and it is likely to be the case that negotiations would follow those discussions. Publication of the departmental note of the meeting, and any other relevant material, could undermine the Department's future negotiating positions.
The hosting of a Ryder Cup gives rise to considerable economic value in the host country. Deloitte have reported on the value to the Irish economy of the 2006 Ryder Cup. The direct economic value was estimated to be more than €140m and the full impact was reported to be around €240m. Similarly, the value to the Scottish and Welsh economies, from the 2014 and 2010 events respectively, has been reported as substantial.
