Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Mr. Mulvey commented on issues that arose earlier and we do not have a copy of his statement. Is it correct that funding to the Olympic Council of Ireland was €1.7 million in the Rio cycle? Mr. Mulvey has stated Sport Ireland does not have nor does it seek a role in the commercial operations of independent sports organisations and that specific matters raised in Mr. Justice Moran's report do not fall within its area of authority. It seems Sport Ireland is getting absolutely no return on the €1.7 million it provides for the OCI in terms of assurances to Olympians and their families that they will receive tickets to events or be accredited properly and that the father of a participant will not have to pay the fare on a public bus to get to a competition. I respect in every sense Mr. Mulvey's professionalism and integrity, but Sport Ireland has got a bad deal.

Members will address the issue of corporate governance, which is of great importance. The Minister has indicated that the Olympic Council of Ireland has not signed up for this and it is important that we have clarity on this matter and other issues.

Sport Ireland provided €1.7 million in funding for the Olympic Council of Ireland when it was under a different administration. Tickets which should not have been sold were available for sale and tickets found in the OCI's safe should not have been for sale. The abuse of ticketing was appalling. Did anyone from the Olympic Council of Ireland or Sport Ireland attend the opening or closing ceremony in Rio de Janeiro? It seems as if a mafia was in control of the tickets and that people could not get any of them. There was no transparency or accountability and we do not know who bought the tickets or at what price. We must deal with all of these issues, including the 2016 agreement for future Olympic Games before we will be able to move on. Perhaps there might be room for a parallel process.

I note Mr. Mulvey's comments about funding and the issues regarding no increase in funding. In the interim, is there some way Sport Ireland could fund sports or individual athletes in a different way without necessarily having to fund the OCI? Is there a way around this? Is there a parallel process? Can we put on our thinking caps and move forward together? I acknowledge the absolute commitment to change but we have to deal with those outstanding issues.

We operate with a process of rotation, so I will call the Fine Gael members first, then the Fianna Fáil members, then Sinn Féin and then the Independents. Members may wish to put questions to either of the organisations represented.