Mr. Mickey Brady:

Those of you who come from the voluntary sector, and as somebody who worked in it for 27 years, I am aware that much of one's time and effort is spent on trying to get funding rather than doing what one is supposed to do, and therein lies one of the huge problems. It is incumbent upon us, as politicians, certainly in the North and, obviously, in the South as well, to ensure that proper funding is made available because the work the voluntary sector is doing can only be enhanced by giving it the opportunity to go forward knowing one does not have to spend half one's life chasing one's tail to try to get funding. That is the big lottery. That is a hugely important part of their work-----