Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The committee would be interested in any further suggestions the witnesses may have along the lines of those offered by Ms Buckley and Mr. Traynor. We feel there is an opportunity to help to streamline this, even in respect of co-design with the Departments, sports capital and the time lag, so we can make practical recommendations here that can be examined. The committee wants to facilitate that but the witnesses are the ones at the coalface and know what can make a real difference. This is not an area that any committee has considered up to now but we are prepared to produce a report and make recommendations. The witnesses are the ones who have the meat to put on the bones, so to speak. If they have any additional supporting evidence or suggestions, could they please feed them to the secretariat to the committee over the coming weeks?

I am now going to ask Ms Murray to contribute. With regard to philanthropy, could she state whether there is an opportunity for a pilot in the area of community finance? Taking up the point that Deputy Ó Cuív has made, that philanthropy could, in theory, be pulling money away from where the State wants it to go, is there an opportunity to use philanthropy, even through a pilot, to support social finance, endorsing where the State wants to put the money? Is that a possibility or a recommendation that could be made by this committee?