Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Prior to the last election, both the Minister of State's party and its coalition partners made firm commitments in their manifestos to increase the betting tax from 2% to 3% and to use this funding for investment in sport. This commitment strangely vanished from the programme for Government with no mention of the betting tax or additional capital investment in sport infrastructure and academies for Irish football. A 1% increase in this levy would have raised approximately €50 million in desperately needed funding for Irish sport. This modest increase is a common-sense move that would help to address the chronic underfunding of Irish sport over recent decades. It would also enable investment in facilities and academies vital for participation and success in sport.

Ireland's betting levy is already the lowest in the EU at 2%, a clear indicator of the privileged position the gambling industry enjoys in Ireland. In contrast, Portugal has a 3.5% betting levy. The revenue is distributed directly to sport. This has generated more than €182 million for the Portuguese football association over a six-year period, accounting for 30% of its annual revenue and enabling investment in every level of football in that country. Ireland is simply not matching this level of investment and is falling further and further behind as a result. If Ireland has the ambition to compete at the same level as Portugal internationally, we have to commit to building a football industry from the grassroots up.

This is not about Irish football receiving State handouts. It is about investing in local and national infrastructure that will deliver long-term benefits for our society, economy and national team. We need to invest in facilities and academies at a community level and ensure the League of Ireland is supported and pushed to achieve its potential. A modest increase in the betting tax is a simple first step towards achieving this goal. Practically the only opponent of this move has been the gambling industry and its army of lobbyists, profiting off the misfortunes of others.

Prior to the election, increasing the betting tax from 2% to 3% had the support of practically every party in the Oireachtas. Once the votes were counted, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael decided to renege on this promise. This has the gambling industry's fingerprints all over it. It is just another example of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael putting corporate interests over communities, families and society at large. I have a specific question for the Minister of State. Why did Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael promise to increase the betting tax for the benefit of sport only to abandon this promise once their hold on power was secured?