Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Cowen again for bringing this Bill before the House. We have had a very useful debate with contributions from all sides. The agreement we have reached in principle is very welcome. An outcome like this shows it can be useful to have debates on these issues on a Friday. I look forward to the Committee Stage debate. Having attended many matches over the years, I am aware that the comfort of a bar in a community organisation like a GAA, rugby or soccer club can be very helpful, particularly on a cold Sunday afternoon after the voluntary activity outside has concluded. Many of these places cannot be described as commercial operations in any real sense because they are quite small and are only used during the game and shortly thereafter.

At the heart of this, what people want is to ensure there is no additional financial penalty imposed on a club because it provides the types of facilities we have discussed at certain times. There is an understanding that whatever goes on in these clubs does not compete with the full-time and entirely separate service delivered by a commercial operation. The issues that have been raised will be teased out on Committee Stage and, no doubt, a wise, sensible and fair result will be found. We look forward to that engagement. As the Minister of State, Deputy Paul Kehoe, outlined, we hope the difficulties will be teased out in a practical and realistic manner to ensure no unfair burden is placed on clubs in the voluntary sector, which we agree are not commercial operations in the true sense.

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