Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the increase in funding. It is fine to have an increase but the issue is to get it to the clubs and organisations. The Government is entering the fourth year of its term and there has been one official allocation of the sports capital grants in the three years. There was an expectation that the sports capital grants would be awarded annually. When does the Minister see it slotting into a calendar month? As I said, there has been only one official allocation and the Government is entering its fourth year.

My other question relates to the funding for high performance sports, and I raised this with the Minister recently. One association is in jeopardy with regard to participation in the Tokyo Olympics - our boxing participants - if it does not get to go. Is the Minister going to keep spending money on the boxing federation? Will the issue be resolved? I commend the Minister's participation with the anti-doping organisations. Has he spoken to colleagues in the boxing association? In the Dáil the Minister was about to give me an answer about the time he was in Washington as to whether he spoke to some people about resolving the issue with the boxing federation. At present, it is suspended from participation in the forthcoming Tokyo Olympics. Has the Minister done anything about that?