Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I understand Senator van Turnhout will table an amendment on Report Stage.
This is worrying, which is why we are having this debate. This must be removed. There is a difference between generating income and generating income for commercial purposes. GAA clubs, as a necessity, rent out halls to other sporting organisations for indoor soccer, basketball and so forth. Rugby clubs do the same. They all do it. They also rent out their dressing rooms for the use of outdoor facilities in the winter, such as synthetic grass pitches for which planning permission is required to erect the spotlights.
This will cost sporting organisations millions of euro.

The relevant section states that it refers to facilities used directly or indirectly for the generation of income. When dressing rooms are rented for €70 an hour, they are being used to generate income. That is a fact, whether it is a GAA, soccer or rugby club. I would debate whether a synthetic grass pitch is a building. Planning permission is required to erect spotlights. Along with dressing rooms, halls for meetings and basketball courts are rented to local communities for training for winter games. That is specifically provided for in the Bill. I take the Minister of State's bona fides on board in terms of guidelines, but they need to be introduced here. I strongly suggest that there has to be an amendment to this section.

The Government will charge sporting organisations money and thousands of organisations will be affected by this. Millions of euro will be sucked out of them. All they want to do is provide sports and activities for young people and the community, and they should be supported in that respect. They will not be able to pay for insurance for the teams on fields and buy footballs, rugby balls and soccer balls because they will have to pay commercial rates.