I apologise that the translation service was not available when the Minister, Deputy Ó Cuív, attended a meeting of this committee. I am happy to inform the committee that the service is now available. Members are free to speak in both languages.
Business of Joint Committee.
Do I understand a translation into the first official language of today's proceedings will be made available to the IRFU if it seeks such a version?
We are supposed to notify Rannóg an Aistriúcháin in advance if we need a translation of proceedings. We assumed, rightly or wrongly, that today's meeting would be conducted as Béarla.
I am sure Deputy Glennon will give the IRFU a full account.
Before we continue our business, I invite Senator O'Toole to speak about an issue he wishes to raise.
I am delighted to have this opportunity to speak about an issue that has arisen this week which relates to tourism and sport. The Americas Cup, apart from the around-the-world races, is the oldest and best known sailing competition in the world. The next staging of the event will be on this side of the Atlantic, for the first time in 150 years, because it was won by a Swiss team this year. The race's route traditionally has been set to favour the holder of the title at any given time. Many new rules have been introduced in the past ten years in an attempt to open up the competition. A large number of teams enter the event and are whittled down in a competition called the Louis Vuitton Cup over a period of up to a year. The winner of that cup challenges the holder of the Americas Cup in a series of races.
A huge amount of money is involved in the competition. It has been calculated that approximately €1 billion has been spent in Auckland in the past six months by those involved in the competition. The fact that a club from Switzerland, which is an inland country, has won the event means that it will have to be held elsewhere, as Lake Geneva is not a suitable location for an ocean sailing competition. The Swiss club has to select a location to serve as its home for the next Americas Cup, but no decision has been taken yet. The attractiveness of the event means that many countries will seek to stage the event. It has been suggested that locations such as Cowes, in the United Kingdom, and Portugal will seek to host the event.
It is proposed, under the national development plan, to locate marinas along the west coast, in places like Donegal, Blacksod Bay, the Aran Islands, Galway, Ballyvaughan, Kilrush, Fenit, Dingle and Caherciveen. The Americas Cup is an ideal opportunity to develop sailing here. I mentioned the idea of Ireland making a pitch for the cup in the Seanad yesterday and I have also raised it with the Minister. I specifically referred to the south-west coast, but another part of the country may be more suitable. The organisers of the Cup have certain needs and it is important that the Government becomes involved immediately. I understand the Minister will be willing to pick up the impetus on this. I suggest that we formally raise this issue with the Minister so he and his Department can consider it.
The national sailing body has already made an approach to Geneva. One course of action would be to have that body before us to explore the issue further and to touch base with the Minister.
It is essential that we hear what the national sailing body has to say as soon as possible and that there be formal contact with the Minister. I have spoken to the Irish consulate in Auckland, Rodney Walsh. He has an important role to play in this respect and he is in the tourism business. He certainly felt that people should move quickly.
A number of rapporteurs are involved and a number of meetings have been already scheduled. Any rapporteur interested in having a certain person or body included in his or her study should make his or her needs known to the clerk of the committee immediately. Otherwise, the schedule might not allow for meetings people are anxious to have in a few months' time.