Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Normally when questions are asked and the Minister, Minister of State or officials give their reply, we are given an opportunity to come in very briefly at the end. I wanted to come back in briefly because the Minister, Deputy Ross, made a charge against me and I wanted to clarify a point I made in my opening statement. I thank the Minister for acknowledging the eight representations I made on behalf of the clubs in my constituency. I appreciate that. I looked very quickly on oireachtas.ieand found that I have raised this seven times in the past 12 months by way of written and oral questions to the Minister of State. It is not for me to adjudicate. The Minister of State said a process was adhered to. I accept that but the perception is that it was not and the Minister of State did not help that perception when he put a tweet up a morning or two after the school received that funding. If the process delivered that result, the question I asked the Minister of State is relevant. Does he think we need to change the process? I outlined the facilities that are available in that school and I outlined some of the other applications that were not eligible for funding. The reason I asked the Minister of State a question about the point he made in a radio interview last week is because there were not enough applicants from disadvantaged areas in Dublin for the money that was available. That is not right. That is the point I was making when I asked about changing the process. I am sorry if the Minister of State was offended. He is very sensitive. It is not for me to adjudicate on whether he influenced it. Let the wider public adjudicate on whether the Minister of State had a role to play in it. I do not care that much about it. What I do care about, and it is the reason I asked about it on seven occasions in the past 12 months, is ensuring that less well-off, disadvantaged clubs get the support they deserve. Unfortunately, on this occasion they did not, with the best will in the world, according to the Minister of State's adjudication on the matter.