Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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51. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of positions on the Irish Sports Council's governing board that are directly electable; if he has any further plans in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51458/13]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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There are no directly electable positions on the Irish Sports Council (ISC). In accordance with the Irish Sports Council Act 1999, all members of the Council are appointed by the Minister.  

The Programme for Government contains a commitment to elect a number of positions on the Irish Sports Council's Board. It was envisaged that the sporting national governing bodies (NGBs) would elect a number of individuals to the board of the Irish Sports Council. There is merit in this approach in terms of ensuring that the NGBs have a direct say in how the ISC operates and makes its decisions. However against that, there are concerns about the appropriateness of having individuals elected to the ISC, the body which allocates funding to NGBs, by the NGBs themselves and the conflicts of interest that would arise.  In the light of corporate governance experience in recent years across the state sector, there is a strong argument to be made against having boards consisting of representative interests given the potential for conflicts of interests but rather to have all board members focused on the broader public interest and the remit of the state agency itself.  

Both Minster Ring and I are currently considering this matter in the preparation of the draft Heads of the Sport Ireland Bill, which will provide for the establishment of a new body to replace the Irish Sports Council and the National Sports Campus Development Authority and will combine the relevant functions of the Council and the Authority.  Minister Ring will bring the Heads of Bill to Government for approval early in the New Year, following which the Heads of the Bill will be forwarded to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport for its consideration prior to drafting.  

Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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52. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the discussions he has had with the Department of Justice and Equality regarding the ability of sporting bodies to register as charitable bodies, and the potential for this to enhance philanthropy towards sporting bodies. [54338/13]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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In order to sustain the development of sport it is important that sporting organisations can secure alternative sources of investment, including philanthropic donations.  I believe that there is potential for philanthropy and charitable giving for areas of sport such as programme development and high performance.    

I have had discussions with the Minister for Finance on the issue of the tax treatment of donations made to sporting organisations, including the question of charitable status.  Officials from both of our Departments will examine this issue in detail over the coming months.