Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It seems strange to me that the system is such that if, for example, the horse racing sector managed to bring forward a really good proposal, another organisation would get the benefit of that on a pro ratabasis as standard. I would argue that we need to move away from the set percentages and actually allocate funding on the basis of merit. That is not to say that either organisation's allocation would increase or decrease.

In his opening statement the Minister said that Government funding presents an excellent opportunity to yield a high return for investment, leading to a flow of income right through the economy. We all agree on that but my question is whether we can be sure that is actually what is happening, that is, that Government funding is delivering the highest possible return. Has the Minister had discussions with HRI on the level of Government funding that is allocated through prize money? Has the Department looked at other avenues to ascertain whether there are better ways to ensure that money is distributed across the sector to the benefit of the widest number of players in the sector and the widest number of geographical areas?