Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday evening I was fortunate enough to welcome the Leader of the House to Dublin South Central when he was canvassing. It is a pity that he is not here today because he would have noticed the extreme lack of green spaces in Dublin 8. It is shocking that in the past week the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport announced funding of €10 million for various clubs throughout the country as an election gimmick. I have not been able to get hold of the list, but I have not been contacted by any club in Dublin 8 that has received funding under the scheme, which is shocking. I have mentioned previously the plight of Kevin's Hurling and Camogie Club which does not own the playing pitches it uses. There is a serious prospect that the children in the inner city who attend the club will lose access to these pitches, the only full-size hurling pitches in the area. They are not even in Dublin 8 but just outside it. The Minister needs to get it right and ensure children in disadvantaged areas will have the same access to sports facilities as those living in more privileged areas. If one looks through the list, one will see that seriously privileged clubs are to receive some of the €10 million which is an election gimmick. It is disgraceful that we are not doing more for children in need of proper access to sports facilities.

The second issue I want to raise is sinking funds. What happens in an apartment block when the roof goes and no proper sinking fund is held by the management company? Fianna Fáil has introduced a Bill to ensure sinking funds would be kept topped up and regulated properly. The Bill has not been taken on board by the Government, but it shows Fianna Fáil's foresight. Having a proper sinking fund is crucial for anyone living in an apartment block because when the roof goes and there is no money available to fix it, there are serious problems. It has been in the news recently that owners are trying to get the developers to pony up, but the developers might not be trading. Therefore, there are serious issues. We need to get it right at the start and ensure proper sinking funds are held to manage the increasing number of apartment units in the city.