Pádraig Ó Céidigh (Independent) | Oireachtas source

There are a lot of learnings Sport Ireland can take from this in order to strengthen its role to make it more or as relevant as it should be. It has a number of terms and conditions attached to grant approval. Section 4.3 talks about material deterioration. If it wishes, Sport Ireland can appoint external auditors. It can also monitor trends and issues development. It has compliance requirements to be met and there is a full section or booklet on the code of governance in this area. There is an amount of material provided from an operational perspective.

I could not agree with the chairman, Mr. Mulvey, more that the FAI is a separate legal entity from Sport Ireland. It is certainly not answerable to us as an Oireachtas committee. It does not seem to be answerable to others also. By a long shot, I am not speaking about Sport Ireland in that respect. I have a big concern - the Minister mentioned it earlier in his deliberations - that a vacuum will be created. That would not be good for the grassroots or the FAI. All of us around the table want to have a healthy and vibrant FAI and soccer organisation in this country. What process and transition does Sport Ireland see as necessary to ensure continuity on the right track?