I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 10, 35, 37 and 54 together. It remains the objective of the Minister that work commences on the site of the proposed national conference centre by the end of the year. The achievement of that objective, however, depends on a number of factors, including, whether a viable proposal acceptable to the Government finally emerges from current negotiations and the position to be taken by the European Commission whose formal approval is required for the associated European Regional Development Fund grant. Following the termination of the open tendering competition late last year, the Minister asked Bord Fáilte to pursue an earlier proposal from the RDS to develop, in its Ballsbridge site, without generating voluntary society, a national conference centre for up to 2,000 delegates at its Ballsbridge site, without any annual operating subsidy. That assessment process is now nearing finalisation and should be complete within the next few weeks. As the Deputy can appreciate it is important that a project of this scale and complexity is properly planned and adequately assessed.
I am not aware of any formal legal action pending in relation to the open tendering competition which took place last year.
The Minister had a meeting some months ago with representatives of SONAS, at its request, at which it gave a presentation of its proposals to develop a complex at the Phoenix Park racecourse.