Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I was very sorry to hear about Limerick FC last week. There is a long and proud tradition of soccer in Limerick. There was so much hope in recent years and the club had been performing well until relatively recently, which compounds it. It is a huge pity. The licence is a matter for the FAI in terms of league participation. I acknowledge the fact that an uneven number in the first division present all sorts of difficulties in terms of the team that will have a by every week and the lack of gate takings for those clubs. Logistically, nine is a very small number to have in a league. Since the club has gone into receivership, a prospective buyer will be dealing with the banks. The Department would certainly be open to talking to any prospective buyer on how we could help and how other partners might help, for example, Limerick City and County Council. I know for a while the club had been playing in Thomond Park. There was a partnership with Munster Rugby. At the same time, we cannot really intervene in the day-to-day running of the club or operational matters for the FAI in the context of the league. The state of the overall league and its future security will be on the agenda for discussion with UEFA. I will be very keen to explore it and see what, if anything, can be done to safeguard the league.