Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 2: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if, in view of the positive effects multiannual funding can have in long-term planning, he has considered providing multiannual funding to the Sports Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31805/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The funding of the Irish Sports Council, as with all Departments and State agencies, is a matter for consideration under the annual budget and Estimates process. In doing so, the Government must balance competing demands from every part of our economy and society. The question of whether multiannual funding should be provided for agencies such as the Irish Sports Council is primarily a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Finance. My Department, like all other Departments, is provided with annual current expenditure budgets through the Estimates process.

The Government acknowledges the many social and health benefits that are derived from sporting participation and this is reflected in the levels of spending on sport. The budget for sport this year is over €295 million, compared to just €17 million ten years ago. Furthermore, the national development plan includes a commitment to provide €991 million for sport infrastructure during the period up to 2013.

The Irish Sports Council was established in 1999 as the statutory body responsible for the promotion and development of sport in Ireland. The council's mandate comes from the Irish Sports Council Act 1999, which gives it six key functions. It should encourage the promotion, development and co-ordination of competitive sport, develop strategies for increasing participation in recreational sport and co-ordinate their implementation by all Irish bodies involved in promoting recreational sport and providing recreational sport facilities. It should facilitate good standards of conduct and fair play in both competitive and recreational sport, combat doping in sport, initiate and encourage research concerning competitive or recreational sport and facilitate research and disseminate information concerning competitive or recreational sport.

In 2000, the first full year of operation of the Irish Sports Council, its funding allocation was €13.2 million. This was increased to €19.6 million in 2001, €28.7 million in 2002, €28.3 million in 2003 and it rose to €40.9 million by 2006. The figure was over €54 million in 2007. The increase from 2000 to this year represents a very significant increase of more than 300%. The Government has provided funding of over €240 million to the Irish Sports Council since it was established. These are significant amounts of taxpayers' money in any context and the Government's commitment to sport is evidenced by these very substantial increases in funding.

I am pursuing funding for the council in 2008, along with all aspects of sport funding, as we work to conclude the 2008 Estimates process, which is underway.

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I welcome the decision to fund the annual team performance scheme for inter-county players and I welcome the statements from the Minister and the Gaelic Players Association, GPA, in this regard. I am pleased the matter has been resolved and that teams will compete in the new year with funding in place.

I thank the Minister for his reply in regard to funding for the Sports Council. During the debate on the national drugs strategy, which preceded Question Time, the role of sport in combatting drugs was raised, as was the importance of investment in this area. The Minister has outlined clearly the incremental increases and the overall increase, which is substantial, for the Sports Council.

However, the key issue for the council is that it is required to have a three-year strategy, which involves setting out its proposed expenditure over that period, as the national governing bodies are also required to do. It is difficult for any organisation to do this when there is not certainty as to the funding that will be available on an annual basis. The funding that will be provided in a three-year period is not known, therefore, but the council must put forward a three-year plan.

I appreciate what the Minister said about the annual budget, but perhaps he might discuss with the Minister for Finance whether there is a way that three-year funding programmes can be put in place.

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I thank the Deputy for her comments on this morning's announcement regarding the agreement with the GPA. Capital funding is allocated on a multi-annual basis because of the large number of capital projects under way throughout the State. The Deputy is correct that current funding is not provided on a multi-annual basis. I appreciate that every agency would like to know, year on year, what its income will be for the next three or four years. However, the budgetary framework means we must do battle on an annual basis through the Estimates process. I am conscious of the unsatisfactory nature of this from the point of view of many organisations, but that is the system in which we must operate.

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

If funding were to be made available on a multi-annual basis, does the Minister agree we would get better value for money? For example, the Arts Council must plan one or more years in advance if it wishes to engage an opera singer. The same is probably true for the Sports Council if it wishes to engage a badminton coach, for instance. The lack of certainty as to future funding places organisations in a predicament in that they are unable to plan for significant current investments. The Sports Council receives no commitment for the funding available for a given three-year period but may be obliged to make decisions a year or two in advance of the availability of the money. If this system were changed, we would get better value for money.

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I take the Deputy's point that certainty is preferable. However, it is sometimes difficult in the areas of arts and sports to tell the difference between capital and current expenditure. In the case of a once-off event such as the Ryder Cup, for example, the Department of Finance might go 40 rounds with my Department in its insistence that it is capital expenditure. However, it is effectively current expenditure in the sense that it is capital expenditure that will only be spent once. There is much argument about the definitions, particularly where there are many once-off events. I will take the Deputy's arguments into consideration.