Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The key point is that matching funding is provided in the context of the national lottery scheme for charities. This has been a common practice for many years and many voluntary or charitable organisations have been receiving matching funding. For example, sporting clubs nationwide receive matching funding in the context of other schemes; this is not unusual. However, I find it amazing that the Taoiseach is running out of adjectives to describe his shock that this information has been unearthed, when the information on the number of tickets sold on an annual basis was freely available in the Department of Justice and Equality for many years. The implication that the matching funding in some way is being misappropriated is almost the speak that is coming from the Government. What is the Government's concern and what is the concern of the Minister for Justice and Equality? Even though the State is before the High Court with Rehab with regard to compensation being sought by the latter, the Minister came into this Chamber to make what was a very unusual intervention, to say the least. The implication that this information was unearthed simply is not the case, as it has been sitting inside the Department of Justice and Equality year on year. I reiterate the key questions, namely, what is the concern of the Government and the Minister for Justice and Equality with regard to the matching funding being provided? Are there concerns there has been misappropriation of funding or is it simply a concern regarding insufficient openness and transparency?

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