Dáil debates
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
Priority Questions
Sports Funding.
1:00 pm
John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 75: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism when Government grants will be paid to inter-county GAA players in respect of 2008; if he will guarantee that these grants will be paid in 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41833/08]
Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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In the agreement reached in November 2007 between my Department, the Irish Sports Council, ISC, the GAA and the Gaelic Players Association, provision was made for the introduction of two schemes through the ISC to recognise the outstanding contribution of senior Gaelic inter-county players to our indigenous sport. Additional costs associated with elite team performance would be met and aspiring teams and players encouraged to reach the highest levels of sporting endeavour.
It was agreed that the schemes would be funded through the ISC and the implementation of the schemes was a matter for the ISC and the GAA. An amount of €3.5 million was provided to the ISC in 2008 to fund the schemes.
As the Deputy is aware, the ISC has statutory responsibility for encouraging the promotion, development and co-ordination of competitive sport and for increasing participation in recreational sport. The council provides annual funding through the national governing bodies of sport and the local sports partnerships for programmes and initiatives aimed at achieving these objectives.
In light of the current economic constraints and the reduction in the ISC's allocation of funding in the 2009 Estimates, I am having discussions with the Council on optimum funding options for next year in order to maintain its existing programmes while building on recent progress. The future funding of the Gaelic players schemes will be considered in that context.
John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister but he has not answered the question I asked. I imagine the payments for 2008 are paid out at this stage——
John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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——or will be before the end of the year. What is important——
Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The ISC is waiting for the request from the GPA. That may have been presented in the past few days but up to a week ago the documentation had not been received from the GPA.
John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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It is important for the future of these funds or grants. We have talked about percentages, reductions and budgets. The players and the GAA understand that there must be savings and cutbacks. I would like to put down a marker here, namely, that the principle of grants for players be maintained, whatever the budgetary conditions are. Perhaps people at large do not understand that elite senior inter-county players have very little flexibility in their jobs with regard to overtime. A cost analysis was done in recent years that examined how much players lose from their income. It is important we continue to recognise their input. Will maintaining grants in some form be a priority for the Minister in 2009?
3:00 pm
Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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While I would like to be in a position to provide the maximum amount of resources to every player or athlete in every sport, the resources available to me are finite. Taxpayers have invested vast resources in the three largest sports organisations, the Gaelic Athletic Association, Football Association of Ireland and Irish Rugby Football Union. While there is nothing wrong with this, I am convinced that with relatively small sums of money we could achieve much greater success, including at Olympic and world level, in a large number of sports. However, I do not have unlimited resources.
To achieve good performances at the Olympic Games or in world athletics or boxing championships we must make fair and balanced decisions. Some of the large sporting organisations have the capacity to raise substantial sums of money. They are cash rich, although they make good use of the significant funds that flow through them. This capacity is not present in other sports. We constantly ask the reason Ireland is not successful in some of these sports at international level. I want fairness and for us to do well in these sports. Any assessment of the budget will show that in recent years the GAA, FAI and IRFU have received an incredible amount of resources from taxpayers. While this has the proper course of action, it is not sustainable.
John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Substantial Government investment in stadiums is no good without players. For the first time, a GAA player has failed a drug test. While I do not wish to pre-empt the decision of any eventual hearings, I assume that if a player is found innocent in such a hearing, the grants paid out to him or her would not be affected. Assuming the player in this case is innocent, surely it is possible to hold hearings and have the player's name cleared before information reaches the media.
Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Deputy should not stray into matters of this nature.
John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I do so in the context of the grants paid to players.
Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Processes are in place to resolve the issue in the public domain to which the Deputy refers. I do not propose to get involved in the matter as it has no bearing on or connection to the GPA players grant system.
We have had a reasonable discussion. A fundamental question arises as to whether the taxpayer should fund individuals who belong to strong and relatively wealthy organisations. The question is whether this approach is sustainable.
Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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If the overall view is that we will not support minority sports, which is a term I strongly dislike, and decide that 25 sports are unimportant and all our resources must be invested in one area, that is fine. I do not believe, however, that this is what everybody wants. If, on the other hand, we decide we want to fund all sports, limited resources available for this purpose. We must decide what is fair, what the taxpayer wants and where the resources should go.
Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Yes. People believe the Government has its own money when this is not the case. The amount of taxpayers' money allocated to the GAA, FAI and IRFU has been vast by international standards.