Neale Richmond (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join colleagues in expressing deep sympathy to the family and friends of Anthony Foley on his untimely and sad passing at the weekend. I never had the fortune or, indeed, misfortune to play against him, but my older brother did. In fact, he dislocated his shoulder trying to tackle him. Many in our club would say my brother never tried to tackle anyone ever again. Anthony Foley was a great servant to the entire rugby community, Munster and Ireland but also to his club, Shannon, as was his father, Brendan. It is about the club that I want to speak today. Will the Leader ask either the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, or the Minister of State, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan, to discuss the new wave of sports capital grants announced in the budget last week? Like others, I am disappointed that we will not be receiving a grant this side of Christmas, but I hold the hope we will receive a decent capital allocation under the grants scheme for 2017. The scheme is vital for sports clubs across Ireland, particularly at grassroots level. Many clubs in my area have benefited from the scheme and I would like the Minister to attend the House to explain when exactly the application process will open, the amounts available and everything else to do with the scheme.