PAC to consider 2012 accounts of the Irish Sports Council

1 October 2014

Key issues which the PAC are expected to explore tomorrow include:

• Administration of grants to governing bodies;
• Sporting success, and
• The merger of the Council with the National Sports Campus Development Authority

Committee Chairman John McGuinness TD says: “Tomorrow’s meeting will see the PAC examine the 2012 accounts of the Irish Sports Council, which amounted to some €45.4 million in expenditure. The majority of the ISC’s expenditure is on grants to national bodies and Committee Members will wish to explore the rationale for dispensing the grants. The Committee will also be keen to assess what follow-up audits take place to ensure the funding has been spent in the manner envisaged.

“For instance, the largest sporting organisations in the country – the GAA, FAI and IRFU – each received substantial grants and we will be asking why exchequer funding is being directed to sporting bodies with other significant income streams. In contrast, other governing bodies are very reliant on ISC funding, and the Committee will wish to hear of the efforts made by these bodies in securing sponsorship and other commercial funding.

“In terms of Ireland’s high performance athletes, the Committee looks forward to exploring with the ISC what correlation exists between sporting success on the international stage and sports funding since the Council was established in 1999. We will be asking how our medal return on sports funding compares to similar sized nations.

“The Committee will also be keen to assess the ISC’s broader approach in engaging the general population in sporting activity. Increased physical activity for adults and children alike, resulting in a healthier population, would garner significant savings for our health system into the future. The Committee will explore what role the ISC has in increasing participation levels in sport.”

The meeting takes place tomorrow 2 October in Committee Room 1, LH 2000 at 10 am. Public proceedings can be viewed online here.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the move, through the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.

Ends
For further information please contact:
Paul Hand,
Communications Unit,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2

P: +3531 618 4484
M: +353 87 694 9926
paul.hand@oireachtas.ie

Committee Membership
Deputies:      
Áine Collins, Fine Gael
Paul J. Connaughton, Fine Gael
Joe Costello, Labour Party
John Deasy, Fine Gael
Robert Dowds, Labour Party
Seán Fleming, Fianna Fáil
Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Féin
John McGuinness, Fianna Fáil (Chairman)
Eoghan Murphy, Fine Gael
Derek Nolan, Labour Party
Kieran O’Donnell, Fine Gael (Vice-Chairman)
Shane Ross, Independent