Vol. 471 No. 7
355 Mr. Costello asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the progress, if any, he has made in determining a suitable location for the proposed National Conference Centre; whether he has considered the O'Connell Street Conference Centre proposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21892/96]
The Operational Programme for Tourism, 1994-99 agreed between the Irish Government and the European Commission in July 1994, proposed that with the support of the European Regional Development Fund, a large dedicated conference centre capable of handling up to 2,000 delegates be built in Dublin.
The first EU Operational Programme for Tourism (1989-93) had designated Dublin as the most suitable location for a National Conference Centre. This view was endorsed in an independent study in 1991 on the feasibility of such a centre on the basis that Dublin, as the capital city, has entry points from most major markets by sea or air, a significantly greater concentration and range of suitable accommodation than other areas, and all the necessary support services for a major international conference centre. The Dublin location was therefore specified when the open tendering competition was launched in 1995 to find a suitable private sector developer for the project.
Following the failure of that competition, in which one of the participants proposed an O'Connell Street site, to produce an acceptable private sector proposal, an alternative strategy was pursued whereby Bord Fáilte, under the aegis of the independent Management Board for Product Development, was asked to examine further an outline proposal from the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) which, as a voluntary body, is potentially eligible for consideration for a higher rate of capital assistance normally reserved, under the Programme, for public and similar bodies.
The possibility of an O'Connell Street Conference Centre proposal, involving a public-private joint venture, was also explored but I was informed by Bord Fáilte, who are responsible for assessing such proposals, that the promoters were not in a position to submit the necessary outline details within deadlines set to allow assessment of suitability for inclusion in the alternative strategy.
Upon completion of their examination of the RDS proposal, Bord Fáilte and the Management Board commissioned an independent cost-benefit analysis. This was undertaken by an experienced UK consulting firm who were selected by Bord Fáilte on the basis of a competitive tendering procedure. The results of this analysis were favourable to the proposal.
The Government agreed, on 5 November, to make a submission to the European Commission, whose formal agreement is required for the project to go ahead, recommending approval of the proposed development by the RDS of the Conference Centre at their Ballsbridge site.
