Ahern restates commitment to Stadium Ireland

The outgoing Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, this morning restated his commitment to Campus Stadium Ireland when responding to questions on the Bertie Bowl; health, speeding by his canvassing cavalcade and Dr Jim McDaid’s suicide comments, from radio listeners.

Fianna Fail's chosen battle ground, the economy, was nowhere in sight on the RTE 1's Pat Kenny Showas listeners put questions to the outgoing Taoiseach.

Barry questioned the Taoiseach’s ongoing commitment to Campus Stadium Ireland. "If you are returned as Taoiseach, do you intend to plough ahead with CSI regardless of public opinion and the more appropriate need for funding in health, education, crime prevention, public transport and road infrastructure?"

"My view is that we in this country have been very neglectful of sport. We have spent a fraction of the entire money that we spend every year - less than a half of one per cent. . . . I think when it comes to sport were a third world country . . . we do need a proper campus," said Mr Ahern.

This campus would include a stadium and health and training facilities and for research. But, "if it comes down in any given year to health versus stadium, health will win", he added.

Mr Ahern said a small part of the €52 billion allocated for the National Development Plan would go towards funding the €350 million CSI project.

Mr Ahern added that his party’s priorities were; health education crime and pensions and that was where the big money was going to go.

Margaret, whose son committed suicide six years ago, said Dr McDaid’s apology for referring to suicide victims as "selfish b*****ds" was not acceptable to her and asked why the Taoiseach had accepted it?

"I didn’t agree with Jim McDaid I made that clear in a number of interviews last week and in a press conference both of us did together. . . . . He put it in the context of quoting a woman whose son had also committed suicide, and he was quoting what she said, including the rather intemperate language he used, which was a direct quote from her," said Mr Ahern.

But Margaret said accepting his apology was wrong and that Dr McDaid should not be in office. She added that "Mr Ahern did not care about the parent’s of suicide victims".

Mr Ahern responded that Dr McDaid "did not in any way wish to offend the parents of people who have committed suicide and he has sincerely apologised and it was right that he apologised."

Alicia was shocked at the perceived flouting of the law by Mr Ahern, the chief legislator in the State, following reports in The Irish Timesthat Mr Ahern's cavalcade had travelled at 75 to 80 mph in a 40 mph zone.

Mr Ahern replied: "I should be keeping to the law. The Garda driver I have is a very good driver. . . I don’t either tell him to slow down or to quicken up. He is a professional driver."

However, Alicia though this response was "very lame". She said the gardaí were only supposed to break the speed limit in the case of emergencies. She added that she was disturbed by the perceived bad example this incident involving the chief legislator of the country was setting.

Mr Ahern began the programme by saying that the outgoing Government had achieved peace and created 370,000 jobs. Both tax bands had been reduced by 6 per cent and he said while others were promising more, the difference was that Fianna Fáil would deliver.

Mr Ahern was also asked how his party proposes to staff the 3,000 hospital pledged under the National Health Strategy - especially given the cost of living issues for staff working in Dublin.

Mr Ahern replied: "First of all we need the beds. One of the complaints that I hear all around the country is that people are told very late that their procedure or operation cannot go ahead. ‘We have the staff but we do not have the bed’".

Mr Ahern said staffing was difficult in many areas because of the 4 per cent unemployment rate, but said that in the last 5 years an extra 18,000 staff had been recruited into the health service.