Averil Power (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply and unscripted remarks. I pretty much expected to hear everything that is contained in his script, but I was not aware of his passion for sailing and his commitment to opening up the position on water sports. I was delighted by what he said in that regard. Would it be possible for him to give an indication of the timescale involved? I gather that a decision on the applications is imminent. I appreciate the fact that he is present to deal with this matter which relates to Sutton Dinghy Club and hope he will consider favourably the club's application which meets all of the criteria relating to disadvantage and equal gender access to sport, etc. He referred to the need to spread resources around. In that context, I am sure he will have many applications from other sports but not that many from sailing. I was interested in his comments to the effect that he had received applications from 2,350 clubs seeking €230 million in funding. That is an average of €100,000 per club. In that context, the €25,000 being sought by Sutton Dinghy Club is a relatively small amount, but it would go a very long way.