Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 77: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism his views on whether it is appropriate that two different bodies which receive funding from his Department both produced external reports on the Beijing Olympics at a cost to the taxpayer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16367/09]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Both the Irish Sports Council and the Olympic Council of Ireland conducted reviews of the performance of Team Ireland at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The commissioning of these reviews is a matter for both organisations in the context of their roles in supporting Irish elite athletes. The Irish Sports Council, which is funded by my Department, has statutory responsibility for encouraging the promotion, development and co-ordination of competitive sport and the achievement of excellence in competitive sport. The Olympic Council of Ireland is the agency responsible for the organisation and participation of the Irish team at the Olympic Games and is a member of the International Olympic Committee, the organisation governing the Olympic movement worldwide. The Irish Sports Council provides annual funding to the Olympic Council for administration and programme costs aimed specifically at meeting costs related to attendance at the games.

I recently completed a series of meetings with a number of the key stakeholders involved in the support of our elite athletes, including the Irish Sports Council and the Olympic Council of Ireland, to discuss how we can best build on the success we had in Beijing and the supports required in terms of coaching, programmes, facilities and funding to ensure the optimum performance of Irish athletes at the London Olympic Games in 2012. It is my intention that the issues arising from these meetings and the reviews carried out by both organisations will inform the high-performance strategy for the London games. This should ensure there is an integrated approach between all stakeholders.

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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I hope the Minister had a tad more clarity following his meetings with these two organisations than I have had from meetings and correspondence with them. It seems ridiculous that two reports were written about the Beijing Olympics. The report of the Irish Sports Council cost €30,000, while the Olympic Council of Ireland told me it had spent €6,231 and stated: "This was paid from our own resources and not from Government funded money." It was reassuring to hear the money was not from Government sources. However, the Irish Sports Council gives the Olympic Council of Ireland a grant of €518,000 and I do not know which part can be chopped off and designated not as Government money but as somebody else's money.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I agree with the Deputy.

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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I ask the Minister to knock heads together. Is there some way to bring these two organisations together so they can co-operate? We would not then have this totally unnecessary duplication. Each organisation engaged a highly reputable consultant but, reading the two reports produced, one would think they were about two different sets of games as there was much discrepancy between them. We are talking about the spending of public money on internal sports politics. The Minister will agree with me that this House is the place for politics and out there is the place for sport. Can the Minister knock their heads together?

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy and I are ad idem on this. I find it quite distressing, to be honest. The fractious relationship between the Olympic Council of Ireland and the Irish Sports Council is unfortunate for sport. However, it is a matter for both governing bodies how they conduct their affairs. I do not have a role in the commissioning of reports. What struck me about the two reports in question is that each blamed the other organisation for the perceived ills in the system. Therefore, I am not sure whether either report made a rounded and mature contribution to the issues that must be tackled.

In this context, I have been engaged with discussions with representatives of a range of national governing bodies. I considered this the best way to obtain an understanding of the issues and, following from that, I am intent on implementing several changes in the future. Only yesterday evening, I attended the annual general meeting of the Federation of Irish Sports, which represents all the various sporting bodies. I was pleased to accept the invitation to speak at this very well attended event. I have spoken to representatives of the federation about the issue the Deputy has raised and it is well versed in this regard.

I agree with the Deputy that problems have arisen because we have two substantial competing bodies peopled with large personalities. That is part of the difficulty. My mission, which is shared by all Deputies in this House, is to ensure the best outcome for Irish athletes.

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. I have calculated that more than €36,000 was spent in producing these two reports, yet one is little wiser after reading either of them. How are we to know which is the substantive report that spells the situation out as it really is? The Minister knows better than I that this €36,000, for which we can deduce that little value has been obtained, could have been well spent in supporting sporting activities in constituencies throughout the State. With the next Olympic Games in London getting ever closer, a continuation of this faction fighting will be of no benefit to Irish sport and Irish athletes.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I am sure we are all agreed that it was proper for a review to take place. The difficulty is that the two bodies concerned did not come together and co-operate in this review. The bottom line is that they must work together for the betterment of the athletes they purport to represent. It is regrettable that this did not happen. As the Deputy rightly pointed out, we did not achieve the required outcome. We must ensure that the two bodies work in close harmony in the future to achieve the best outcomes for Irish athletes.