Taoiseach admits he did not tell PDs of £60m grant to GAA

The Taoiseach admitted that he had not informed the Progressive Democrats about the Government's £60 million grant to the GAA.

Mr Ahern was challenged by the Labour leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, and Mr Alan Dukes (FG, Kildare South) to say why he had not informed the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, about the grant.

Mr Dukes asked: "Will the Taoiseach explain what he thought he was at when he brought all the financial procedures we have ever legislated for in this House into disrepute in that way and tried to subvert and corrupt a major national organisation?"

To jeers from the Opposition benches, Mr Ahern said: "There were breakdowns in communications. I admit that and I apologise for that."

Mr Ahern said the Government would consider in the near future a report from the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Dr McDaid, on the funding arrangements proposed for the new national stadium.

An external overview of the stadium and Campus Ireland project would also be carried out to take account of the total cost implications, including the ancillary costs such as access infrastructure.

The Taoiseach said that where sporting facilities were funded by the taxpayer, they should be shared as widely as possible for the benefit of the whole community.

"And in the legal discussions to go on, the offer of financial assistance to the GAA and the FAI will be pursued in that context. It is not a question of just Croke Park, and I made that point time and time again, it is a question of using these facilities all over the country . . ."

Mr Quinn asked when it was agreed with the Tanaiste that the GAA would get the money, and why it was announced on the eve "of a historic congress which was going to reverse, in the spirit of the Good Friday agreement, and in accordance with the wishes of the vast majority of GAA supporters and players", the rule about playing soccer and rugby in Croke Park.

He added that many of the delegates from Roscommon, and the other county boards which struggled so hard to bring about such a historic change, "must feel a little bit like the way Deputy Albert Reynolds felt when you showed him your vote".

Mr Ahern said that Mr Quinn's view "of why I would try to influence a GAA conference is so off the wall I should not bother replying to it". He added that a presentation on the progress to date on the stadium project was made on March 2nd to himself, the Tanaiste, the Minister for Finance, the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, the Minister of State for the OPW, and all of the relevant officials, in Government Buildings.

"At those meetings we said we would continue on with those discussions. We did not clear the finality of those discussions with any of our Government colleagues."

Mr Ahern said that from the outset the GAA confirmed it was committed to using Stadium Ireland and was represented on the steering committee which oversaw the feasibility study.

"That commitment came into focus for a firm decision once the outline bid documents issued to consortia for the provision of facilities at Sports Campus Ireland on a design, finance, operate and maintain basis.

"It would not have been possible for the five consortia to make a realistic bid if they did not know what the national sporting organisations intended to do, and May 31st was the date for those bids to come forward.

"In recent months, particularly since Christmas, we have had discussions with the IRFU, the GAA and the FAI to reach a successful conclusion. Following its executive meetings, the IRFU made its position known publicly. "The FAI had a specially convened meeting of the entire association on March 6th and the GAA's annual conference was held last weekend."

Mr Ahern said he would admit that last week's meeting was more rushed than would normally have been the case. He understood, he added, the previous week that the congress would be called off for obvious reasons but that was not the case.

He said the GAA was anxious to inform its delegates to the congress of the details of the stage reached in discussions with the Government, which had taken place in good faith.

"We thought that was a reasonable, practical and courteous thing to do, so I issued the letters on that basis."