Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

There is a direct correlation between the performance of the national soccer team, which we will, I hope, enjoy tonight, and conversations in houses such as this. There is a direct correlation between the priority a state, parliament or government gives to sport and the performance of the senior international team, regardless of the code. There is a complete imbalance if the levy placed on every bet supports just one industry, to the tune of €100 million a year ring-fenced in legislation, with the majority of that going towards prize money, although I am not suggesting the 20,000 jobs it supports should not be supported. There is a reason that industry is thriving, while sports such as soccer have, as Damien Duff described, infrastructure that is horrific. The Minister of State acknowledged there is an imbalance that needs to be addressed but we need to tease it out further. It is not good enough for us to celebrate sporting achievements without asking the difficult questions in Parliament.

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