Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy Wall for raising this matter on the Adjournment and for the opportunity to address the issues involved on behalf of the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Deputy O'Donoghue. I would like to outline the background to this issue, which has generated significant debate in the media in recent weeks.

The Minister has had a number of meetings with both the GAA and the Gaelic Players Association at which player welfare issues for intercounty players were discussed. At these meetings and in subsequent letters to both the GAA and the GPA, the Minister has set out the position of the Government on this issue. The Minister has stated that he does not intend to provide direct funding to meet the costs either of direct grants to GAA players or of player welfare policies. This responsibility rests with the GAA in the same manner as similar player welfare issues in other sports must be dealt with by the responsible national governing body of sport. In this context it is the exclusive prerogative of the association to decide how it manages and funds such issues, and the Minister does not intend to influence the GAA as to the nature or cost of any new player welfare supports it may introduce.

The Minister has previously indicated, however, that in the event of agreement being reached between the GAA and the GPA on additional player welfare supports, he would be prepared to provide additional funding to the GAA on an annual basis, either through the existing sports capital programme administered by his Department in respect of prioritised infrastructural projects, or through additional funding by the Irish Sports Council in respect of games development, or a combination of both.

Any moneys provided under these programmes would have the effect of freeing up existing moneys within the association to meet the additional costs of agreed player welfare issues. Although the Minister indicated that an amount of €5 million could be set aside, he has also stated that it would be premature to lock into any particular funding mechanism or formally commit to any specific amount of such funding until such time as detailed costed proposals were submitted to him by the GAA under the headings of infrastructure and games development and considered by his Department. As any financial support to be provided by the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism would be considered in the context of the additional costs to the GAA of new player welfare supports, the Minister has outlined to the association that he would have to be satisfied as to the extent and nature of such supports, taking into account the ultimate responsibility of the GAA for funding such supports, and in the context of the Government's national sport policy.

The GAA, supported by the GPA, submitted a proposal to the Minister recently regarding Government funding for a senior intercounty player welfare initiative. The proposal has now been examined and a meeting with the GAA and the GPA will be held shortly to discuss the matter.

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