Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)

Initially, it took an awfully long time to get this issue resolved. The views of those on all sides of the dispute were put on the table and eventually a resolution was reached. It appears now as though that resolution is falling apart. That is partly because the €3.5 million that was provided initially is no longer available. In fairness to the GPA and its players and, as the Minister rightly pointed out, their commitment to the social and cultural life of the country, it is important we find a method or a route to fund the GPA players, as this initiative came from the Minister's Department. That is the bottom line.

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