Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

With the Acting Chairman's permission and, indeed, that of the Minister, I will bank my questions and he can reply in writing in the interests of efficiency so that everybody gets in.

It would be remiss of me not to ask whether the Department has been in contact with the boxing authorities throughout the world to register our abhorrence in the words of senior members of the Judiciary of a crime organisation that has caused many deaths and much harm throughout Ireland and, indeed, the rest of the world being associated greatly with an upcoming high-profile boxing match in a professional tournament. Did the Minister make contact with Sky Sports, BT Sport or any other broadcasters which we have a relationship with to get their opinion on the situation and to express our abhorrence of their association with any organisation that is causing so much harm and so much death, crime and destruction in Ireland?

Can the Minister confirm that he met the FAI yesterday, and can he further confirm that they were looking for more funding? What was that funding for and will he be providing it? Is he satisfied that proper governance procedures were followed in the appointment of the current chairman, interim deputy CEO and CEO? The Minister stated on the news last week, "I can't help you ... [there]", and that was a matter for Amrop. However, the Minister will be aware, because he is always tuned in, that many have cast a complexion over the recruitment of what are the three best individuals for the jobs, as far as I am concerned - I have no axe to grind with them. There is an obscurity in the process, which makes the new FAI look very much like an old new FAI.

An article published today on the Irish Examiner's website quotes from correspondence issued about a week ago to the FAI raising serious matters in respect of governance. What is the Minister's position on that? Odgers Berndtson is to advertise for a permanent CEO of the FAI tomorrow. Will the Minister assure us that the process will be above reproach and will not have an obscure complexion like that which seemed to generate a number of candidate lists for jobs that were fluid and for which the Minister has stated he had no input? Did Sport Ireland have input and will it have input again? Is the recruitment firm being told to produce an expert list of candidates from which somebody will be chosen, or is the list subject to a masseur, either at Sport Ireland, the Department or some other entity, to ensure that a candidate who certain people think should get the job gets it, rather than the person who should get the job?

How will the Minister reconcile the FIFA and UEFA statutes in terms of having to have a majority of football directors as opposed to having an inbuilt majority, to use the Minister's own words, for the independent directors with the benefit of the casting vote?

What are the proposals for the League of Ireland? Is the Minister aware that, presumably, at least some public money will be of assistance for the four-team tournament proposed by the FAI? It happens to be the top four clubs. Having seen the names of the independent directors recruited, I did not notice that of George Orwell, although it seems the League of Ireland is now very much a club of equals where all clubs are equal but some are more equal than others. What about Sligo Rovers, Shelbourne Rovers, Finn Harps and Athlone Town? All told, there is considerable concern that the new FAI, in process, procedure and governance, looks very much like the old FAI. What does the Government propose to do about it?

I turn to the Federation of Irish Sports, which represents 81 national governing bodies and 29 local sports partnerships. It has stated that for all the institutions, their funding supports have been reduced by between 60% and 100%, yet 85% of the current expenditure costs continue to be applied to them. Will the Minister consider the establishment of a sports resilience fund, similar to that in New Zealand?What are his proposals for establishing one? While I appreciate there is an expert group on the return to sport, will he outline whether he will set up a task force on the support for sport?

Finally, and I apologise that this is a transport issue, the Minister will know that I have, ad nauseam, asked for a clear and prompt pathway for the reopening of aviation. He will have noted today that the European Commission clearly stated that all intra-EU restrictions are to be lifted on 15 June, which merely puts the Government's plan and pathway one month behind the curve. Will the Minister be reviewing that?

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