DAIL REPORT: The Taoiseach denied that there had been a waste of Government resources in the provision of a national sports stadium.
Mr Ahern said that feasibility studies carried out on the Abbotstown site would be useful for further development for sporting requirements in the future.
"The board will have to make its case for ongoing developments. The national governing bodies also have proposals they wish the Department to pursue such as the Community Games, international soccer, training grounds and other facilities. All proposals will have to be assessed in the future."
Mr Ahern said the facilities on the site were poor and as a new scientific laboratory was required, they would have been moved anyway. "I do not consider that to be a waste of resources."
The Taoiseach was responding to Mr Joe Higgins (Socialist Party, Dublin West) who said Mr Ahern was prepared to find about €750 million to fund his proposal.
"Many of us made the point at the time that such funding would be better spent on improving the inferior facilities of working-class communities and a sensibly proposed stadium."
He added that as the Tánaiste "has allegedly won that argument" he wondered whether people should "be fearful that her proposal to throw elderly people out into the cold will now be pursued with greater vigour."
Earlier, Mr Higgins asked Mr Ahern if he had been cured of the "Ceausescu syndrome" which the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, had implied he suffered from, "referring to his campaign to build a massive and unviable complex at Abbotstown that would have paralysed the whole of west Dublin on numerous occasions throughout the year if it went ahead."
Mr Ahern referred to the aquatic pool in Abbotstown which, he said, would be a good amenity for international swimmers, but mainly for Mr Higgins's constituents. "I know he did not want them to have that development, but thankfully they will".
Mr Higgins replied: "I would like to take the sting out of what the Taoiseach just threw in there. In fact, I was an enthusiastic supporter of the water sports project. As a member of Fingal County Council, I was instrumental, with others, in ensuring it received every co-operation as a sensible facility for people."
