Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Deputy Martin Cullen, to the House. I am glad he is here and thank him for coming in on such a bad night.

Last week he announced that he would not provide sports capital grants in 2009. This will affect many sporting and local community groups. It is bad news not just for sports funding but for the building of sustainable communities. Like many Senators, I am involved in my local GAA club and community organisation and know that the news has serious implications. Last night in many meeting rooms of GAA clubs, soccer clubs, community and voluntary organisations across the country there was devastation at this news. It may well have been flagged that Government was going to announce a freeze on the funding of the sports capital programme but animated discussions have taken place in many sporting groups. I bet the Minister's office and the Department in Killarney have been inundated with calls from people asking where they should go now to help fund clubs and improve facilities.

I am the first to accept that since its inception the sports capital programme has done great work across the country. In some cases it was used wrongly and the Minister in question gave his own constituency preferential treatment and some clubs were left behind.