Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 23 Oct 1991

Vol. 411 No. 5

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - National Lottery Funding.

Eamon Gilmore

Question:

3 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister of the Environment if he will outline in respect of the recent announcement of the allocation of national lottery funded amenity/recreational grants (a) the date on which the information was communicated to the applicants and (b) the date and time on which the information was communicated to Government TDs; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that many community groups received word of their allocations from Government TDs before they received any official notification from his Department; if he will now establish independent procedures to decide who will benefit and the way such announcements will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Austin Currie

Question:

28 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for the Environment when Dublin Corporation and Dublin County Council were informed of succcessful applicants for national lottery funds; whether persons were notified of the successful applicants in advance of that date; and, if so, the names of such persons and the reasons for advance notification.

Minister for the Environment (Mr. Flynn)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 and 28 together.

Notification of the grant allocations under the amenities/recreational facilities grant scheme 1991, issued to the county councils, county borough corporations and Dún Laoghaire Corporation by registered post on 24 September 1991. Nobody was notified in relation to any grant allocation prior to that date. It was a matter for the local authorities to notify the sponsors of the successful projects without delay of the allocation of the relevant grant and to inform them of the conditions attached. Local authorities were also to notify the sponsors of projects who were not successful in obtaining grants on this occasion. Accordingly, information as to when project sponsors were notified of the outcome of their applications is not available in my Department.

The review of the Programme for Government states that "in future, all amenity grants under the national lottery will be allocated by local authorities". The detailed arrangements to give effect to this will be decided by the Government if and when funds for a new scheme are made available.

Mr. Gilmore

I take it from the Minister's reply that the notifications which were issued on 24 September by registered post would not have reached the local authorities concerned until 25 September. First, may I ask him to explain why letters from him were hand delivered in this House to members of his own party who are Members of the Oireachtas on the evening of 24 September, notifying them of the allocations? Second, why had a number of local authorities still not heard of the allocation by 25 September and had to telephone his office who then issued the allocations by fax to them? Third, how were newspapers able to carry reports on 25 September that members of his own party, on the evening of 24 September, had made announcements of the allocations in their own respective areas?

Mr. Flynn

The allocations under the scheme were sent by registered post, as the Deputy rightly said, at 3.30 p.m. on 24 September and no information regarding allocations was released to anybody prior to that time.

Mr. Allen

The Minister must be joking.

Mrs. Owen

That is not true.

Mr. Allen

Clubs knew.

Mr. Flynn

The press statement was issued on 25 September to get a deadline for the evening newspapers. The intention was that that would coincide with the receipt of the allocations by the local authorities. Nobody was informed of any allocation to any organisation or club before 3.30 p.m. on 24 September 1991.

Mr. Allen

That is not true.

An Ceann Comhairle

May I remind the House and the Deputy of the need for brevity for the obvious reason that we are on priority questions.

Mr. Gilmore

Can the Minister answer directly whether he wrote to Fianna Fáil Deputies and had those letters delivered by hand or by courier to Leinster House on the evening of 24 September — admittedly after 3.30 p.m. but on the evening of 24 September — before the notifications had reached the local authorities in the normal way?

An Ceann Comhairle

We are having repetition, a luxury we cannot afford.

Mr. Gilmore

The Minister did not answer the question. Did the Minister write to the Deputies?

Mr. Allen

It is still the slush fund.

Mr. Flynn

I am not aware of the matters to which the Deputy is referring. I repeat that at 3.30 p.m. all notifications were sent out. I do not know how long it took for the notifications to get to the local authorities. Certainly after 3.30 p.m. later that evening and the following day, Deputies did ask me about certain allocations that had already been notified——

Mr. Gilmore

How did they know they were to ask on 24 September?

Mr. Flynn

——but nobody got any information before the registration post-time of 3.30 p.m.

Mr. Gilmore

I am not disputing that.

Mr. Allen

It is still a big slush fund. It is a disgrace the way it is being used.

Mr. Gilmore

May I ask a brief question?

Mr. Allen

It is still a slush fund.

Mr. Gilmore

May I ask a final question?

An Ceann Comhairle

Sorry, Deputy, I have given the Deputy quite a lot of latitude on his question.