Brendan Kenneally (Fianna Fail)

Somebody rightly made the comment that the GAA is an amateur organisation run by professionals and the FAI is a professional organisation run by amateurs. That was proved today. In light of what happened in Lansdowne Road, I was a strong advocate of the Abbotstown project and I was disappointed when it did not proceed. While the stadium aspect is not going ahead the National Aquatic Centre is completed and many other sports facilities are being developed there. I regret the Lansdowne Road Stadium project will take so long but I realise there are difficulties with planning and so on. I wish we could make a decision, get on with the work and put the facility in place but, obviously, there will be delays and appeals and there is nothing we can do about that.

One of the great successes in recent years is the capital sports grants programme because of the amount of money the Minister has to expend, which has been increasing substantially. I remember when it commenced as will many other Members. At that time it was under the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The amounts allocated to various organisations ranged from £3,000 to £10,000. The amounts were small but the organisations were delighted to get the money because no other similar source of funding was available to them. We moved on from there when it was realised that substantial funding was required if the proper facilities were to be put in place and significant funding is now being provided.

There are now proper facilities in practically every parish in Ireland. When I played sport, I remember changing in ditches and under trees whether it was freezing cold or raining. Whenever I remind my son of that he only laughs at me but that was the reality. I played a good deal of basketball but a proper hall with the correct dimensions was not available to us. That was true not only of Waterford but of everywhere but today facilities have improved enormously. If we get our young people to play sport they are less likely to become involved in antisocial behaviour, with which anyone who has been involved with running teams will agree.

I am not sure of the status of the so-called "sunset clause" introduced some years ago, whereby the money for projects which did not proceed as planned was withdrawn. Will the Minister clarify the position in that regard? Discipline must be introduced to the system. If a body is allocated money, it must be spent within the time specified, otherwise it should be taken back and reallocated to the myriad organisations which would be delighted to get their hands on it.

Greater priority should be given to organisations located in RAPID areas. If we are serious about tackling the problems in such areas we must provide as much help and support as possible. The sharing of facilities should also be prioritised by this scheme. In rural areas particularly, GAA and soccer clubs often fundraise for their different needs while community councils in the parishes simultaneously fundraise for multi-sports halls. The different fundraising groups tend to hit the same people over and over again, which is nonsensical. A system should be put in place to pool the resources of the community and priority attached thereto by the Department in the context of any applications. Soccer pitches and GAA pitches are different sizes and can be separate but there is no reason dressing rooms, showers, toilets and halls cannot be shared. I would like to see an emphasis placed on this, not only in rural areas but also in expanding urban areas in towns and cities which await new facilities.

Senator Cummins will agree with my delight at the Government's support of the Waterford regional sports centre to which €5.1 million has been allocated in recent years. Criticism was made earlier that the money had not begun to be spent. Nonetheless, it is a significant sum which will be used to support a number of clubs including soccer, athletics, basketball, badminton, tennis and so on. This is one example of where facilities are shared. While researching for this debate, I discovered that this practice has occurred in Dublin. For example, Templeogue United and St. Jude's GAA club received a grant to provide a shared all-weather playing facility. That is the way in which we should proceed and such a practice should be encouraged and accorded priority.

Horse and greyhound racing are sports close to the Minister's heart in respect of which facilities have improved tremendously in recent years. For example, the horseracing track in Tramore has developed considerably. Although this small track is not on the scale of the Curragh and Leopardstown, it is nonetheless marvellous that such facilities are developing. The Minister appeared to have some success the night he visited Waterford greyhound stadium in which fabulous facilities for dining out are provided. People do not even have to leave their seats to place a bet. Although I am not a great fan of greyhound racing, I attended the track recently with a regular patron. When he looked around, every table was full and he informed me that he could not see a single regular greyhound meeting patron. The facilities are encouraging more people to attend such meetings.

Sometimes it is shortsighted to criticise the grant aid which is made available in these areas because the horse racing and greyhound racing industries support a huge number of jobs. I commend their work and compliment the Minister on improving sporting facilities throughout the country. I hope this momentum will be maintained.