asked the Minister for Education whether grants to sporting and athletic organisations in respect of the financial year 1973-74 have been announced.
53.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Sports Organisation Grants.
52.
asked the Minister for Education the exact dates on which grants to sporting and athletic organisations, etc. were announced in each year since the inception of the scheme.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 52 and 53 together.
Grants to sports organisations since the inception of the scheme were usually announced in late March or April. The relevant dates of announcement were 26th March, 1970, 10th April, 1971 and 8th April, 1972. This year, however, the grants were announced by my predecessor on 10th March.
Due to the established date of announcement, these grants can only be spent by sports and youth organisations in the subsequent financial year. The grants announced on 10th March are for use by the organisations in the year 1973-74. However, I should point out that as a result of procedure which I inherited the grants made to sports organisaions for use in one financial year have been made out of the Departmental allocation for the previous year.
From the reply I take it that the Parliamentary Secretary was wrong the last day.
The Parliamentary Secretary should apologise to the House.
I was not wrong.
The Parliamentary Secretary was totally wrong.
I was not. I was asked for what year these grants were allocated. These grants are for sports organisations and they could only be spent in the financial year subsequent to the date on which they were allocated.
The Parliamentary Secretary has tried to say that the allocation had been decided by his predecessor and that he had no control over the matter but when there is anything to his advantage he tries to pretend that it was his own Minister and himself who decided the allocation. He did not know which year was involved.
The position is that the grants to be spent by the sports organisations during this financial year——
We are all aware of the position but I wonder if the Parliamentary Secretary is.
——and during the term of office of this present Government were allocated by my predecessor on the 10th of March after the general election and after his party had lost their mandate from the people and about two or three days before my Government took office.
In what Estimate were these grants provided for, this year's or last year's?
These grants were provided in the Estimates for the previous year.
Did the Parliamentary Secretary know that on the last day?
They were to be spent as was established.
We cannot have an argument on this matter.
The Deputy is quite well aware of the position.
Did the Parliamentary Secretary avail of the opportunity on a previous occasion, however inadvertently, to mislead the House saying that the grants referred to the financial year 1973-74? We all make mistakes and if he made one he should be man enough to say it.
I can assure the Deputy that I did not mislead the House.
We cannot have an argument and this question is turning into one.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that the sum provided for 1971-72 represented a 25 per cent increase for sport and youth organisations on that of the previous year and that the sum provided for 1972-73 represented a 36 per cent increase on the sum for the previous year but that the sum provided for the coming year represents a very significant cutback, a 23 per cent increase?
The Deputy is making a statement rather than asking a question.
Taking this in conjunction with the cutbacks by the Minister for Local Government on the amenity grants scheme of over 50 per cent is this an indication of his Department's and the new Government's attitude towards sport and recreation or, if not, what is the explanation for the cutback in this very important area?
The Deputy's supplementary is entirely contradictory because he said at one stage that there was a percentage increase and then he alleges that that percentage increase constitutes a cutback.
I am quite capable of interpreting what is contradictory. I should like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary if the fact that this increasing percentage grant which has been the pattern of grants to youth and sport has not continued this year and that there has been a cutback in amenity grants is an indication of his Department's attitude towards the significance, or otherwise, of this whole area or do the Government regard it as an unimportant area?
I can assure the Deputy and the House that my Department is very concerned about the development of sport and recreation in this country.
Why not continue with the increase in grants? There has been a procedure for consultation with COSAC about the spending of these grants and I should like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary if he has consulted with that organisation since he took office and how often that organisation has met?
I can assure the Deputy that I have consulted with COSAC which is more than my predecessor did before he allocated the grant.
How often has this organisation met?
They have met twice.
This is a clear indication that you have a total lack of concern and people are worried about this lack of concern for sport.
I can assure the Deputy and the House that my concern in this matter will be demonstrated by my deeds.
Sporting organisations are concerned.
The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.