John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)

As I said, if that was removed there would be an obligation on every sporting body to register and be subject to all the regulatory control that goes with that. In reply to Senator Buttimer on the Special Olympics, any organisation that has a charitable status would retain that. Many sporting clubs that might have charitable status, for whatever reason, can also have it for the activities in which they are engaged, for example if they are dealing with disadvantage or if they establish a trust to do something. Different organisations develop in different ways. I re-emphasis that the primary focus of the legislation was to maintain the status quo, to regulate what has evolved through common law and which is effective, knowing it is an evolving situation with a mandatory review.