Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 13 May 2010

Vol. 709 No. 1

Intoxicating Liquor (National Conference Centre) Bill 2010: Second Stage

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Deputy Dermot Ahern)

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."

The main purpose of this short Bill is to make provision for an intoxicating liquor licence for the new national convention centre at Spencer Dock in Dublin. Similar legislation was enacted in 1983 to provide a fit-for-purpose licence for the National Concert Hall at Earlsfort Terrace.

Before moving on to the detail of the Bill, I want to highlight the importance of business tourism to our economy. The most recent data from the Central Statistics Office indicate that approximately 1 million business visits were made to Ireland in 2009 and evidence suggests that the typical business tourist spends more during his stay here than the non-business tourist. Research carried out by Fáilte Ireland in 2009 indicates that, on average, each business tourist generates about €1,400 in revenue during the time spent in Ireland.

Conferences and events are an important part of the overall business tourism market. Last year, Fáilte Ireland provided financial support for 122 conferences, with a combined value of over €80 million. However, while we now have the required availability of high-quality hotel accommodation, the absence of a dedicated national conference centre has for some years been identified as a shortcoming restricting our ability to fully exploit the potential to expand business tourism.

In 2002, An Agreed Programme for Government contained a commitment to construct a modern national conference centre. In 2003, under the direction of a steering group, the Office of Public Works published a notice inviting expressions of interest for the provision of such a conference centre in the Dublin area. Following a complex and detailed appraisal process, the contract for the provision of the national conference centre was awarded to Spencer Dock Convention Centre Dublin limited in April 2007. Under a public-private partnership arrangement similar to that under which the criminal courts complex was completed, the company is required to design, build and finance the national conference centre and to operate and maintain it for a period of 25 years, after which the facility will revert to the State. In return, when construction of the centre is complete and open for business, the State will pay an annual charge, the maximum total cost of which over 25 years will be just under €380 million in present-day values.

The new conference centre, which will be known and marketed as "The Convention Centre Dublin", is due to open on 1 September next. It will be capable of accommodating up to 2,000 delegates in plenary session and will have 22 other multi-purpose meeting rooms. It will have approximately 4,500 sq. m of flexible exhibition and banqueting space, along with associated press and delegate support facilities and general utility spaces.

It has been estimated that the convention centre will, when fully operational, generate about 30,000 extra visitors to Ireland per year, and associated annual foreign revenue earnings of between €25 million and €50 million. I understand a total of 29 international events, involving over 236,000 delegate days, has already been secured for the centre. These events include meetings of the International Bar Association, comprising 4,000 delegates, the International Statistics Institute, comprising 3,000 delegates, and the International Conference on Emergency Medicine, comprising over 2,000 delegates.

To compete on an equal footing with comparable conference venues in other countries, it will be important that a full range of conference facilities be available. The purpose of this Bill is to provide a fit-for-purpose intoxicating liquor licence for the new facility. In view of the projected opening of the convention centre on 1 September, it is urgent that a new licence be put in place and I am grateful to the Opposition for facilitating speedy consideration and enactment of the Bill. We have until towards the end of June but I acknowledge and thank the Opposition for suggesting that this Bill could be considered in full today in the Dáil, thus allowing it to be considered in the Seanad.

Section 1 provides for the issuing by the Revenue Commissioners of a licence that will permit the sale and consumption of intoxicating liquor at events that will be held in the new convention centre. The proposed licence is not the equivalent of an ordinary seven-day alcohol licence. Under the proposed licence, alcohol may only be sold to, and consumed by, those attending or taking part in an event in the centre. Sales of alcohol to members of the public will not be permitted. Moreover, subsection (4) provides that the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport will make regulations prescribing the actual areas in the convention centre in which such sale and consumption may take place.

An important distinction is being made in the Bill between what is called a "convention event" and a "non-convention event". The former is defined as a conference, congress, convention, seminar or symposium, held in and involving the use of some or all of the conference facilities of the convention centre, and includes a reception, dinner, banquet or stage show held as part of such an event involving the use of some or all of the facilities of the convention centre. When such an event is taking place, the Bill will permit the sale of alcohol to those attending or taking part in it during the period beginning one hour before it commences, but not earlier than 10.30 a.m., and ending one hour after it concludes or at midnight, whichever is the earlier. However, where a reception, dinner, banquet or stage show is being held that is part of a conference, congress, convention, seminar or symposium, the sale and consumption of alcohol may continue until 2.00 a.m. In such cases, there will be no requirement to apply to the District Court for a special exemption order.

To facilitate use of the convention centre's facilities at times during which convention events are not taking place, the PPP agreement permits the holding of what the Bill refers to as a "non-convention event". A "non-convention event" is defined as a trade fair — this might be a fair open to members of the public or confined to a specific economic or services sector — a live sports event, or a reception, dinner, banquet or stage show that is not held as part of a conference, congress, convention, seminar or symposium.

When such a non-convention event is taking place in the convention centre, the sale and consumption of alcohol will be subject to the normal licensing hours set out in section 2 of the Intoxicating Liquor Act 1927, as amended. Moreover, any extension beyond normal licensing hours for a non-convention event will require a special exemption of the District Court and the normal conditions, for example, advance notice to the Garda, will apply. These provisions will ensure that there is no distortion of competition between the Convention Centre and other venues capable of holding non-convention events.

Section 2 amends section 1,094 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 by providing for tax clearance of the applicant as a condition for the issue of the licence. Section 3 contains the standard commencement and interpretation provisions. It is intended that the Bill shall come into operation immediately upon enactment.

I commend the short Bill to the House and thank the Opposition spokespersons for addressing it. It was originally intended to consider the content of the Bill as part of the civil law (miscellaneous provisions) Bill, which is a more comprehensive Bill. At the suggestion of the Opposition, and given the fact that there were issues pertaining to the latter Bill that might require further consideration, I agreed to deal with the convention centre by way of an independent Bill, thus allowing us to discuss the civil law provisions at a later stage. I hope that, with the co-operation of the Opposition, we can do so as quickly as possible. We are ready to do so.

I understand the convention centre is all but finished and kitted out so everything is on time. It is appropriate that we respond as we are doing and agree to this legislation.

Deputy Charles Flanagan

We are entering the record books this morning in a number of ways. We have another intoxicating liquor Bill and I dare say it is the shortest Bill this House has been asked to consider for some time. It contains a mere three sections.

I would like to commence my brief contribution with a quotation mentioned in Constance Cassidy's book, Cassidy on the Licensing Acts: It states:

The provisions of the numerous statutes which regulate licenses for the sale of intoxicating liquor in Ireland are so complex, so uncertain and so contradictory that it is difficult to carry them into effect or to reach the meaning and intention of the Legislature.

The quotation comes from Lord Justice Fitzgerald in 1877. Since then, numerous statutes have been added to the long list to which Lord Justice Fitzgerald referred. His words ring true and carry the same validity in 2010 that they did in 1877.

I wonder why this single-issue Bill is necessary, or indeed worthy. The Minister quite rightly said we are following the precedent set in 1983, in the case of the National Concert Hall. I was not here on that occasion — neither was the Minister or Deputy Rabbitte — but I would have thought that the Intoxicating Liquor (National Concert Hall) Act 1983 was a short-term solution to an immediate problem of the time. The Minister will recall that the legislation in question was introduced when the Garda Síochána decided to appeal a Circuit Court decision to grant a theatre licence to the new National Concert Hall. The legislation was passed by the Oireachtas, thereby obviating what was likely to be a real and serious problem, before the appeal could be held in the High Court.

We have not really advanced matters to any extent since 1983. I am not sure whether it was envisaged at the time that a full Act of Parliament should be required every time a venue of this nature is opened to the public. Perhaps the Minister can clarify that in his response. More than anything, it underlines the need to codify our liquor licensing laws into a more coherent body of legislation. I recall that a Minister from my party indicated in the mid-1990s that she intended to embark on a codification of the liquor licensing laws. Very little has happened in the 16 years that have passed since then. I suggest, subject to correction in the Minister's reply, that an intoxicating liquor licensing Bill has been introduced almost every second year since the initial body of law was agreed in 1635. It is important to bring together the entire corpus of liquor licensing legislation. A reference was made earlier to the proposed sale of alcohol Bill, which will not address the matter in the comprehensive manner that is needed.

We are continuing to operate under the strictures mentioned in the preamble to the 1635 Act, which was introduced to respond to the concern of the English Parliament about the need to restrain the "regrettable excess in drinking" of the Irish populace. I suppose we are doing that today, in many respects, by regulating and restricting the manner in which alcohol is sold to those from home and abroad who attend events at the National Conference Centre. I understand that the centre is to be run by an outside agency. I wonder if it is worth considering the creation of a special licence for venues like convention centres and conference halls. The Minister mentioned that it is not a case of attaching an ordinary seven-day publican's licence to the premises, which is fair enough. As entry to the conference centre will be by ticket only, I assume alcohol will be served only to those people who have gained admission by way of ticket and are attending the conference as delegates. I do not object to the provision in the Bill whereby alcohol can generally be served up to one hour before and one hour after the events. It is important that a range of entertainment and beverages is available.

I congratulate the parties involved on the construction of this landmark building, which has already significantly enhanced the landscape of the quays of Dublin. The changed landscape, incorporating the conference centre, can be seen from far and wide, including some of the more plush offices on the fifth floor of the Leinster House office complex. The building must be classified as a monument to the Celtic tiger era. Now that the Celtic tiger is dead and buried, the desperate need for the business tourist revenue that this centre promises to bring must be underscored more than ever. In the era of the zombie hotel — 30 hotels closed in this city last year — I am somewhat surprised to learn that planning permission has been issued for the construction of a hotel on a site adjacent to the conference centre. Rather than building another hotel at a time when the current complement of hotels is starved of business and facing real and serious problems, I would have thought a more creative solution could be found, in partnership with the existing hotels in Dublin.

In November 2007, the then Minister, Séamus Brennan, predicted that the conference centre would help to double tourism revenue by 2013. I wonder how realistic that €1 billion target is today. I do not suppose the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has that information. The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport might be able to inform the House of the projections for business tourist revenue that are currently in operation. It was promised that the centre would host 200 events per annum, the majority of which would accommodate between 1,500 and 3,500 delegates. How do the bookings compare to that promise? These figures seem high, having regard to the venue's capacity of 8,000 people. How often will the centre be filled to capacity?

I understand that one of the bookings that have been taken is from the International Bar Association, which is a prestigious client to secure. Was the association attracted to Ireland by the possibility of a day trip to Dublin Castle to see our tribunal industry in action? I hope the conference centre will attract other high-profile clients. The development of the proposed metro from the city centre to the airport would facilitate the conference centre's business. My colleague, Deputy Olivia Mitchell, has suggested on numerous occasions that the Government tourism tax played a huge part in the sharp decline in tourist numbers last year. In light of the need to attract business tourists to the conference centre and elsewhere, I repeat her call for the tax to be removed.

I regret that I do not have more time to discuss this legislation, which I support notwithstanding my view that a comprehensive overhaul of the liquor licensing legislation is needed. Such a review would obviate the need for the Dáil to engage in the enactment of specific legislation every time a centre of this nature is opened. I will conclude on an optimistic note by wishing everyone well. I am confident that business tourists will flock to this country and to the new convention centre, Icelandic volcano ash permitting.

Deputy Pat Rabbitte

I wish to share time with Deputy Ó Snodaigh.

The Labour Party is pleased to welcome the Bill. It is narrow in scope and the service it confers, which is to authorise the availability of liquor in the specified circumstances given expression to in its provisions, is necessary. I do not have any dispute with it.

The conference centre is an essential part of the tourism infrastructure in Dublin and in the country. Against a background of a 15-year boom, we have few landmark buildings to show for it but this appears to be such a building. It seems a splendid building to me and although I have not been on the inside yet, I am told the facilities are excellent and it is a building of which we can be proud.

The Minister stated it was built as a PPP. It was constructed at the height of the boom when we could not count the revenues coming in. We did not count them and when we did, we counted them incorrectly. I wonder whether this should have been a PPP. Why could it not have been built a great deal more cheaply on behalf of the taxpayer than through a PPP? I would like to hear the Minister's view on that if it differs from mine.

What is the status of the planning application for the adjacent hotel? According to the press release, Treasury Holdings "submitted plans for Dublin's biggest hotel on the site of the new convention centre...planning permission for a 35-storey hotel with 488 bedrooms". There may well be an argument for appropriate hotel accommodation adjacent to the centre for all the reasons most of us have experienced. Such provision is not otherwise available in the immediate vicinity but, at the same time, 15,000 hotel rooms too many were built during the boom, largely through property-based tax incentives, with the calamitous fall-out we know about. How does the Minister reconcile the overhang of property with this application?

If ever there was a monument to the Celtic tiger, it is the shell of the Anglo Irish Bank building through which one can see from the dockside beside the conference centre. It could be adapted for hotel purposes because it certainly will never function as the headquarters of Anglo Irish Bank. In fairness to the DDDA, before it became enmeshed with that bank and the cross directorships that have led to virtual ruin for the banking system, the authority was doing a good job and it had lifted the area but that shell of a building will not function as the headquarters of a bank that does not function or trade.

The pricing signifies that the facility is aimed entirely at foreign tourist and business. It is prohibitively priced in the context of the domestic market and I presume that means its focus is exclusively on attracting business tourism from outside the State. I would like the Minister to comment on that.

Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis an Teachta Rabbitte as a chuid ama a roinnt liom.

I support the legislation in general. I am a little bemused as to why it has come before us in this way and why it took until almost the last minute for somebody to realise there was a problem and that a licence was needed for the national conference centre. We have no problem facilitating the quick passage of the Bill, although it is being rushed despite the fact that the centre does not open until September.

The conference centre is welcome and it will be a boost to Dublin's facilities and, hopefully, a boost to the tourism industry in the city, given many hotels are closing because of a lack of business. The centre might attract additional national and overseas conferences to the city. However, this is a PPP project and the State will pay Treasury Holdings €380 million over a period. This company is currently putting a business plan together to transfer properties to the National Asset Management Agency. On the one hand, the State has to bail out Treasury Holdings, while, on the other hand, it will pay the company €380 million, which seems odd. Is there no circumstance in which the rental could be revoked in order that the State could run the conference centre and gain the profits from day one of its operation? That would be worth considering.

With regard to the urgency of the Bill, many other Bills are as urgent, if not more urgent, and they could be prioritised at this stage without rushing this legislation. It was only at 9.30 a.m. that I received a text message saying a financial resolution had to be put to the House to facilitate the Committee Stage debate on this Bill. I have said time and time again that rushing legislation usually results in mistakes. It is a short Bill and we will manage to ensure it is accurate and covers its intention but rushing it in this way should be frowned upon. When I attended the Whips' meeting, I was given an indication the Bill needed to be passed by June but the Minister stated it does not need to be passed before September.

While I welcome the legislation, we could have debated other urgent legislation such as the Bill to end the practice of imprisoning people who cannot pay their debt, the legislation to recognise the preferred gender of transgender people as directed by the High Court two and a half years ago or the Tribunals of Inquiry Bill 2005, which is awaiting Report Stage. A poll conducted three years ago found that 88% of people wanted a new law to curb the cost of tribunals. In addition, the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill 2008, which must be reintroduced in its entirety, and the Adoption Bill 2009 are urgent, yet the Minister is concerned with granting a liquor licence to a facility, which says something about the Government's priorities. Is the fact that the Government is rushing the legislation a consequence of the debacle concerning the DDDA, the planning problems in the Spencer Dock area and the attempt to ride roughshod over residents? In the middle of all of that, did somebody forget to include the provision for a liquor licence, which meant the legislation had to be rushed at the last minute?

Deputy Joe Carey

I am pleased to make a contribution to the Bill which will enable the national convention centre to apply for a licence to sell intoxicating liquor. I understand that the centre, which is built on the banks of the River Liffey at Spencer Dock, is scheduled to open in September 2010. There is little doubt that this facility will be a world class international conference and event venue, one of which we as a nation can be justifiably proud.

I take this opportunity to raise again the possibility of developing a national conference centre in the mid-west. The idea was first spoken of by the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation in 2006. The mid-west centre was intended to be a 2,000-seat international conference facility but the plans for it were shelved by the former Minister, Martin Cullen, in February 2009. The economic landscape of this country has changed fundamentally since the decision. Significant value for money is to be found in terms of construction and land costs. The project, which was originally costed at €60 million would only cost a fraction of that price now. The development of a convention centre would provide jobs in the short term for hard-pressed construction workers and would sustain a number of long-term jobs in the region.

The mid-west region is nestled in the heart of the west. Our region boasts spectacular scenery, with places like the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, miles of golden beaches and the rolling plains of the Golden Vale together with ancient castles, some of which have been transformed into five star luxury accommodation, such as Dromoland Castle and Adare Manor. We in the mid-west have a world class international airport which provides easy access to global air hubs and airports throughout the world. We have two world renowned universities in the University of Limerick and Limerick Institute of Technology. Our road network has improved with the opening of the Ennis bypass and soon to be opened Limerick Port Tunnel. The N7-M7 has been developed, as has the N18, part of which is currently under construction from Crusheen to Gort. It is critical that the Gort to Oranmore section is not allowed to be put on the long finger.

In recent weeks we have witnessed the opening of the Ennis to Athenry section of the western rail corridor which has proven to be a tremendous success, with more than 16,000 passengers using the service in the first month. That highlights the need to proceed immediately to develop additional rail services in the region. I refer to the need to develop a rail spur to Shannon Airport which could deliver passengers right up to the door of the international airport. The railway line is a mere three miles from the airport.

I also support the need to develop a new railway station at the University of Limerick. I will continue with my representations on the provision of a rail stop in the village of Crusheen in County Clare where Iarnród Éireann has made an official application for funding to complete the station. The opening of a rail stop at Crusheen would be a massive boost——

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

I remind the Deputy that he has just over a minute and a half left and that the debate relates to intoxicating liquor.

Deputy Joe Carey

——for the village and the large hinterland it serves throughout north Clare and into places in east Clare such as Tulla and Feakle. I also wish to put on record the need to deliver the remaining elements of the western rail corridor. We have a vibrant region in the mid-west and that is good not just for the west but for the entire country. We need a counterbalance to Dublin. Balanced regional development means supporting the economic and social development of all regions in their effort to achieve their full potential.

Chambers of commerce in the mid-west, including those in Limerick, Shannon and Ennis, have supported the need to develop a national conference facility in the region. The mid-west is situated halfway along the western rail corridor-making it an ideal location to develop such a facility. The region can proudly boast a large amount of first-class hotels and guesthouses which could easily accommodate the number of people such a centre would attract. It is reasonable that the notion of having a major conference centre on the west coast should be pursued. If we are to take the stated aim of balanced regional development to its natural conclusion then a state-of-the-art conference facility for the mid-west should form part of the strategy.

I support the legislation and call on the new Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Deputy Mary Hanafin, to re-examine the proposal to develop a national conference facility in the mid-west region in the interest of balanced regional development.

Deputy Mary Upton

I am interested in Deputy Carey's contribution. I support almost anything he says about County Clare. However, I must talk about the convention centre in Dublin today.

I welcome the Bill and have no difficulty supporting it. It would be totally unrealistic and completely impractical if we had any negatives on providing a licensing facility for the convention centre. I was lucky enough to have had a tour of the convention centre earlier this week. Apart from being amazingly visually attractive from the outside, although I have no architectural experience, it is a fabulous, state of the art building. Technologically, it seems to be up there with the very best convention centre one could expect to find anywhere in the world, certainly in Europe. It is clear that whatever needs to be put in place must be put in place to ensure we can attract the large tourism business groups that will be important to make it viable economically.

I am told the conference centre can cater for anything from eight to 8,000. If one can imagine dealing with 8,000 tourists in one centre at any one time, one will get an idea of how competent and efficient the system must be in order to provide for that. It is clear that the provision of the licensing facility is hugely important.

I refer to the tourism industry and how important it is to the country. Unfortunately, in 2009 everything that could go wrong did go wrong in terms of tourism. It was a very bad year for the country. I hope, despite the forces of nature being against us in terms of ash clouds, that the situation will improve later this year. For that to happen we must look carefully at how our tourism industry is managed. For instance, when we bring business tourists to Dublin we hope that they will have the facility to move around the country to see the other tourism attractions. Even within the city of Dublin, as has been mentioned on numerous occasions, signage is poor relative to other European countries. I was in County Clare recently and the signage when travelling around the country also leaves much to be desired. These are small, practical matters.

If we are attracting international tourists, whom we will clearly be targeting for the convention centre, then a language facility will be required in order to support such groups. While we can provide basic language facilities in French and Spanish we should bear in mind that we will be attracting a different cohort from Asian countries and areas where we currently lack language skills. We must invest to ensure we have all the services and facilities that would be important in that context. From the point of view of the economy we hope that the funding for marketing will continue to be provided as an investment in tourism. If it is not then the industry will fall apart.

Integrated ticketing in Dublin has been raised on more than one occasion. My colleague, Deputy Tommy Broughan, who is the party spokesman on transport, has raised it many times. We cannot hang about much longer. We keep being told it is going to happen. Integrated ticketing is something one takes for granted in any European city. It would not be an issue elsewhere.

There will be a huge spin-off from any international conference, not just for the immediate area in which it takes place. Will the Minister indicate what is the current status of the application for the hotel facility, how important it is, whether there is a need for it and if the matter is being progressed?

The purpose of the Bill is to ensure the provision of alcohol within the convention centre. That provides an opportunity for me to express concern with how we in this country deal with alcohol in a wider context. The legislation is positive in the context of providing a facility that is essential to the convention centre but we need to look carefully at the wider issue of alcohol. A number of Bills are on the list of current legislative proposals and we need to deal with them. Overall, I welcome the proposal. I hope we have a very successful international and national support for the convention centre.

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Deputy Dermot Ahern)

I thank the Deputies opposite for their comments and for facilitating the speedy passage of the Bill. The legislation is not being rushed, as such. We started the discussions in regard to this in September within my Department and the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. Under the agreement between the State and the PPP company there is a provision which states that an intoxicating liquor licence for the centre was to be obtained, and must be enacted no later than 30 working days prior to the target service commencement date. In effect, this means it should be enacted before 24 June.

As I said earlier, it was intended to include this in the civil law (miscellaneous provisions) Bill, which is a more comprehensive Bill dealing with a number of other issues not connected with this. However, at the instigation of the Opposition, when we produced the Bill, it was suggested that if we were to rush the entire Bill through before 24 June, this would not afford due time for the other issues in the legislation, which needed longer consideration. I agreed to that, and this is why we took it out as a separate Bill, with a view to passing it.

Equally, it was intended that we would deal with this Bill in Stages in the Dáil and then go to the Seanad with a view to having it passed before 24 June. Again, a timeframe was agreed with the Chief Whip, at least, that the Bill should proceed on that basis. Again, at the suggestion of some of the Opposition Whips that we should take it all today, we obviously agreed, and I thank them for that suggestion. There is no suggestion that we are rushing this legislation. There would have been plenty of time and the suggestion that we deal with it separately is probably a better modus operandi than what we had originally intended.

Listening to Deputy Carey, I started to believe he was on a retainer for the mid-west tourism organisations. However, that is an issue on which I cannot comment because it is something the new Minister in this area, Deputy Mary Hanafin, will have to deal with. With regard to the points raised by Deputy Charles Flanagan on the myriad items of legislation that date back as far as 1833, we are bringing forward the sale of alcohol Bill, which will be a consolidation Bill. We are in the final throes of dealing with that. It will replace the Licensing Acts of 1833-2008, the Registration of Clubs Acts 1904-2008 and will merge more than 600 statutory provisions spread over 70 statutes into a single Bill. It will have about 300 sections. As such it is in line with the desire by Ms Constance Cassidy, SC and others, as well as myself for reform in this area.

This area has been changed piecemeal over decades, indeed centuries, and it would be better to have a consolidated Bill whereby——

Deputy Charles Flanagan

The Minister had first better get the immigration Bill out of the way.

Deputy Dermot Ahern

——legal practitioners and members of the public would have one document to refer to. I believe that should be welcomed.

Deputy Ó Snodaigh referred to all the other Bills. The Fines Bill, for instance, will I hope pass into law in the next week or so if we can get the amendments from the Seanad passed in the Dáil. The immigration Bill is another on which we have agreement at the suggestion of the Opposition, to a certain extent, that it should be dealt with in a certain manner, and I welcome that. It is not as if we are taking the foot off the pedal as regards other items of legislation. It is one of the reasons why we willingly accepted the suggestion from the Opposition that we should deal with this quickly.

I wish to advise Deputy Rabbitte that I have no information on the matter he raised regarding the hotel nearby. With regard to my views on PPPs and the Exchequer paying for them, my experience as a Minister is to the effect that PPP projects work well, as in the case of the criminal courts complex although in other areas they have not worked as well. In the case of this convention centre and the criminal courts complex they seem to have worked well. On the question of whether the State could afford to pay out a very large amount of money for buildings such as the criminal courts complex and indeed this one, the consensus was that to do it on a PPP basis was a better approach.

The focus, primarily, will be on international business, but the centre will also be looking for big local business. Deputy Upton raised the matter of language facilities, and that is an issue. However, I am aware from developments in the courts in recent times that a number of private companies are very adept at bringing translators forward in every language we have had to deal with in the courts. I understand they have dealt with them reasonably well.

It is estimated that this facility will provide 200 to 250 full-time jobs, 500 temporary jobs as well during its construction, 730 on-site at its peak, with 600 off-site. It will be ready for business a month prior to the official opening on 7 September. To date, the company that is targeted with finding business has exceeded its targets for international delegates for the years 2010-11. It already has 200 options signed up and is negotiating in this regard in relation to conferences coming to the centre up to 2021. To date the company has confirmed 236,000 delegate days on 29 events, and there are targets it has to comply with over the lifetime of the 25-year lease. There are penalties if it does not reach those targets.

This is an excellent building. It is fair to say, leaving aside all the issues in regard to the DAA and the other matters in the public domain in that respect, that the developments which have taken place down in the docklands are magnificent. They are a testimony to the design of architects and engineers as well as to the view taken by the local authority and the State with regard to how to develop this area which had been very disadvantaged for many years. It was gratifying to hear a number of the community leaders in this area saying that despite all the controversy with respect to some of the sites, we should not lose sight of the fact that these developments have enhanced that area and have led to jobs for local people in tandem with developments for previously disadvantaged communities. Again, I thank the Deputies for this.

Question put and agreed to.