Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Nevertheless, I thank the Deputy for bringing it forward. I also thank my home town club of Ratoath for mounting its campaign a number of weeks ago, together with my county board. They obviously are passionate about the GAA, sport and its development, as well as the integral role it plays in communities. Arising from my husband's involvement in my own GAA club, I am aware of the countless hours and the commitment that are involved, as well as the hard work involved in fund-raising to keep alive those clubs. This is not limited to GAA clubs because this Bill obviously affects other clubs, such as the rugby club located in the village up the road from me. Money is hard earned and is spent extremely well by an entirely voluntary organisation for the betterment of communities. The position of my club is that the current valuation system charges rates on its dressing rooms, its gym and what I will loosely call an indoor pitch, that is, an indoor area the club has upstairs above its commercial space. It is an area the kids use when it is raining and that the more senior members, by which I am talking about the old farts like my husband and his pals, use on Saturday or Wednesday nights to have a kick around. The club is charged commercial rates for that area, which is wrong. While I understand there are various technical issues associated with the Bill, the intention of Deputy Cowen, everybody else who is speaking today and all those who have been supporting their own clubs throughout the country, is that the current situation is wrong. It is unfair and must be changed and while there may be technical difficulties, there are very clever people within Fine Gael and I am quite sure we can get around them.

I urge the Minister of State to make use of the opportunity afforded by the Valuation Amendment (No. 2) Bill 2012 that is before the Seanad at present. I agree with Deputy Cowen that Members should not get bogged down in parking this Bill or in discussing the technical issues pertaining to it. Members should make use of their opportunity with regard to amendments to the current Valuation Amendment (No. 2) Bill 2012 and should find a resolution to this issue. Long before I ever arrived in this House, Members of my party were raising this issue with the then Fianna Fáil Minister. The matter either was ignored or perhaps the technical issues were so difficult that it could not be fixed. However, the time now is right as Members all are in agreement that the current position is unfair and unjust. People, who are all volunteers who are trying to drive the development of sport, as well as a bit of crack in and the development of communities, should not be penalised. I genuinely ask the Minister of State to find a way to get around this issue through amendments to the current Valuation Amendment (No. 2) Bill 2012. The Government, its predecessor and its successors undoubtedly are, were and will be supportive of sporting facilities and their development throughout the country. Only yesterday, the Government handed out €40 million of taxpayers' funds back to those taxpayers for the development of more than 800 projects throughout the country. All Members recognise the really good work that is being done by volunteers nationwide. They all recognise that the current situation is wrong and must be changed and they all recognise that the will exists to do it. Therefore, let us please do so this year.

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