Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I reiterate that the Government is committed to supporting the development of Ireland's sporting ecosystem and the support that continues to be provided for football is a key example of that commitment in action. This is evidenced by the significant funding provided to the FAI, including capital investment for sports infrastructure and funding for training facilities. As I referred to earlier, the programme for Government includes a commitment to exploring new mechanisms for the creation of football academies with the FAI and the League of Ireland. My colleague the Minister of State with responsibility for sport, Deputy McConalogue, will review the report on the development of football academies, which will feed into the development of a future training development plan.

A key point is that betting duty accrues to the Exchequer and, therefore, betting duty receipts are not ring-fenced for any sport or any sporting body. It is acknowledged that there is a regular source of confusion in that from 2001 to 2008, the horse and greyhound racing fund received a guaranteed level of funding each year, which was based on betting duty receipts for the preceding year, subject to a minimum level based on the year 2000 amount. However, in 2009, a policy change was made whereby the annual payments to the fund were no longer automatically calculated by reference to the previous year's betting duty. This policy change was outlined in the budget 2009 summary of budget measures.