Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

The Senator need not worry. I have been chairman of my own club for six years and secretary before that and know well the workings of the sports capital programme. We were lucky to have Jim Collins in my club. He knew the system backwards and could liaise with the Department in latter years because it was a tedious process and one needed people like him to do that. It was a tedious process, and people like Jim Collins were needed to do that.

We are now at a situation where the development of facilities has stopped. In a November debate in the Dáil, the Minister stated that money from the national lottery did not come to him, but rather to him via the Exchequer. However, many clubs that obtained funding for their development projects had to put a sign up stating their projects were partly funded by the sports capital programme and the national lottery. Writing in the Evening Echo, Dave Hannigan wrote that, "It would be easy to summarise that this was an inevitable consequence of the ridiculously harsh economic climate." He may be right, but why are we doing this now? Why are we penalising voluntary sporting groups? This is about the provision of facilities and the funding of sport, and the use of national lottery money. Do we have to give a percentage of the earnings from the lottery to the sports capital programme and to the funding of sport? When the national lottery was created, I believe the point of it was to provide funding for sport.

The money that we provide for the development of sports facilities and community facilities during these difficult times would help many small builders to employ skilled labourers and others. The lack of money on one level can help kick-start a local economy by providing jobs. We have now told the people we have no money, so sport must suffer. We should continue to provide funding for sport, especially for the development of community organisations. Such development is important to create sustainable, meaningful communities.

Senator Keaveney pointed out that sport binds people together. It casts aside political, religious and other differences. Sport is being killed as a consequence of last week's decision. Clubs were promised by Deputies and Senators. Can we guarantee those clubs that in 2010 they can come back and apply for funding if they begin their projects? Under the current system, clubs cannot start until they get permission.

In a ministerial reply to a Dáil question last November, it was claimed there were moneys outstanding from allocations between 2000 and 2008. Will those moneys be paid out? Can clubs that have not claimed for those moneys still receive them? What plan do we have to assist clubs that need to upgrade or even build new facilities? Are we redefining the purposes of the national lottery? I would rather that the lottery funded sports facilities than sponsor "Coronation Street" on TV3. I mean that, even though I watch "Coronation Street" on and off. It is much better that we fund sport. I heard the Minister on the radio this week when he congratulated Rory McIlroy on his great golfing victory. We need to put our heads together and continue to fund sports facilities. If we do not, we will go back to the era of poor facilities, something which our young people do not deserve.

I thank the Minister for coming to the House. It is important that we have Cabinet members in here for matters on the Adjournment. We need more Ministers like that.