Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

No club could accept the situation in which the club in question finds itself. I am anxious and have instructed officials — in so far as they are involved because this is a matter for the centre as opposed to officials — that an agreement acceptable to the centre and the club should be reached. I told the House previously at Question Time that the centre should at least break even on its day-to-day operations. We should retain this target because not to do so would lead us down a long road towards a subsidy. Irrespective of the capital subsidy for the project, providing a current funding subsidy on a long-term basis would be the wrong direction to take. The club should not and will not be the one to suffer in the middle of such a policy. The centre is doing better in the first quarter of this year than it did in the first quarter of 2007. Its financial operations have shown an improvement, which is encouraging. I am hopeful an agreement can be arrived at.

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