The Taoiseach has said that there is "nothing new" in Stadium Ireland figures released to RTÉ by the Department of Finance. The figures suggest that the cost of the project may exceed the projected figure by £100m. The documents were released to RTÉ under the Freedom of Information Act, and they also show that the Department of Finance has doubts about private sector investment in the project.
Reacting to claims by the Fine Gael leader that he had misled the Dáil, Bertie Ahern said that the figures were prepared before the Government decided to conduct a review of the Abbotstown complex. The Taoiseach said that developments had moved on considerably since those estimates were prepared. The Minister for Sport and Recreation, Dr Jim McDaid, said that the Department of Finance material released to RTÉ had been "overtaken" by the decision of the Government to carry out an overview of the Campus Stadium Ireland project.
Michael Noonan said in a statement this morning that the revelations raised serious questions about the authenticity of figures given out in the Dáil by Dr McDaid, which were endorsed by the Taoiseach. Mr Noonan asked Mr Ahern to clarify the amount of private investment that was now actually committed to the Stadium, and said that the Government must explain why it misled the Dáil on the figures.
Sports Campus Ireland, including the new stadium and other sports facilities, has an estimated price tag of £550m. The Department of Finance memorandum raises serious questions about this estimate. It suggests that moving the State Laboratories from the site at Abbotstown will cost almost £200m.
The cost of infrastructure may also have been underestimated. An interchange on the M50 was priced at £3m, but would actually cost four times as much. The Department raised doubts about whether commercial investment in the site would ever see a return.
In a separate document, doubts were raised about public transport to the site. Dublin Bus said that it would not be prepared to buy extra buses for a shuttle service, while Iarnród Éireann said that the cost of providing a new station was underestimated, and that the Maynooth line could not cope with the extra trains required. Independent consultants are due to be appointed next month to investigate the costs and benefits of the project.
In a further development, an opinion poll published today suggests the public is evenly divided on whether to build a national stadium or spend the money on other sports facilities throughout the State. The Irish Times/MRBI survey shows some 47% of voters support the building of some form of national stadium and sports campus.
Some 45% believe the money should be spent on sports facilities around the State. Dr McDaid said that the Irish Times/MRBI poll today shows that a majority support the idea of a National Stadium.
