The Government has provided £65.3 million for its national stadium project, Sports Campus Ireland, on the outskirts of Dublin. The figure is included in the Estimate for tourism, sport and recreation, which has increased by 16 per cent on this year.
The total net expenditure for the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation this year was £195.077 million. The Estimates put the total for 2001 at £225.919 million.
The Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Dr McDaid, said he welcomed the increase in the net provision, but in particular the allocation of an extra £4 million to the Tourism Marketing Fund.
This would result in a total provision of £18.3 million for expenditure on destination and niche marketing programmes to be run by Bord Failte in the coming year, he said.
Responsibility for the Sports Campus Ireland project, which includes a new stadium in Abbotstown, will move to the Department on January 1st, 2001, with an estimated cost during next year of £65.376 million.
The Estimates also include provision for the North-South Tourism Company being established in accordance with decisions recently made by the first North-South Ministerial Council for Tourism.
The Minister said a working party of officials from the NI Tourism Board and Bord Failte was under way and would be identifying the level of resources to be transferred including the special provision already made in the Estimate for next year's start-up.