John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister. This is an ongoing saga. It is important that there is the best support for our athletes and elite athletes. I keep returning to this and have asked it in a number of different ways. It was envisaged that it would be autonomous. It was recommended in the Athens and Sydney reports. Would the Minister agree that while he says the work is ongoing, the chief executive and staff he mentioned are working in limbo because they are not in a position to make any autonomous decisions? It is a subsidiary of the Irish Sports Council. Does the Minister agree that in the short term — we are on the eve of the Beijing Olympics — this institute of sport needs to be either put on a legislative footing or abolished? It has a board, staff and chief executive but is not able to make any real decisions without the authority of the sports council.

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