Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I do not know the specific issues around the Defence Forces gymnasium but, as a general rule and principle, wherever the State puts in infrastructure or taxpayers' money is going to provide facilities, whether directly to clubs, associations or organisations or to something in the State's hands, we should maximise its use. It is ridiculous that, as can be seen in some areas, there are a few halls that are a bit run down because their use has not been maximised and they have not been properly organised. It annoys me because the taxpayer has put in money.

In the last number of years in the youth facilities fund, we have tried to get multi-purpose and multi-use halls for all ages without elitism or groups, cabals or clubs getting their hands on them, where the halls can be open in the morning from 8 o'clock for people who are dropping their children to school to do their aerobics classes or older people to come to do——

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