Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I cannot see how the newspapers in Mayo could be at all critical of the Minister of State. I know he has been very fair.

The sports capital grants are important for communities and Dublin is grateful for what it has got. Clubs such as boxing clubs that are trying to develop in the city are working at a disadvantage. A number of grants are often required to create that infrastructure. I am delighted to see funding going to rural areas and I do not, for a second, say it should be reduced. Social infrastructure in rural areas gets €52 million through the Leader fund. All other avenues of funding for urban areas, including Cork, Limerick, Galway and Dublin, have been closed down. In the past, when we wanted to develop a boxing club or a community centre with sporting facilities we applied to the sports capital programme, the dormant accounts fund and several other schemes. All those areas have been closed off. Rural areas have access to the €52 million Leader funding, and this is welcome.

Can the Minister of State and his colleagues look at ways to fund deprived urban areas across the country, because we are losing out? The social infrastructure is falling into bad repair. We need to open up the funding that was closed off, and I understand why, by the previous Government. We must look again at the dormant accounts fund and other social funds that were there previously to allow urban Ireland to get back on its feet again.

See this speech in context