Minister for Sport Séamus Brennan has rejected a Fine Gael claim that sports funding for 2008 has only increased by €3.3 million since last year, despite it being an Olympic year.
Fine Gael spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell claimed that funding to the Irish Sports Council (ISC), in effect, decreased and Ireland "must be the only participating country with less money available to sport than last year". She said that €3.3 million "coincides exactly with the amount of money to go to the GAA players".
Mr Brennan, who today will announce the ISC's package of investment in high performance sport for this year, dealing with Olympic and paralympic preparation, insisted that the Government demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to sport with a total sports budget of €336 million in 2008. The ISC, he said, has defined success as meeting its target of six finalists at the Olympics.
He said that in 2008, his department has allocated more than €57.3 million to the ISC, an increase since the last Olympic year of €26.6 million, some 86.4 per cent. Ms Mitchell said there was no point comparing to the last Olympic year, and far more intensive preparation is required this year. "We need to allocate at least a small token increase to show that we regard it as something important," she added.
Mr Brennan replied: "It is much more than a token."
He said the package he would announce today was very significant and he stressed that Government funding to sport has increased by 14 per cent since last year. "Bringing home the medals is not just a matter of piling in funds. I will ensure that any funds that are needed to ensure success are made available," he added.
Ms Mitchell said it was possible to do anything with figures. "Can the Minister confirm that the allocation to the Irish Sports Council this year was €3.3 million more than last year, which is the precise amount of additional money to go to the GAA players?"
Mr Brennan: "No. I am telling the deputy that the overall Government allocation to sport is €336 million. That is an increase of 14 per cent on last year's funding of €297 million." The ISC allocation was €57.3 million, an increase of 6.1 per cent, he said.
Ms Mitchell: "It is an increase of €3.3 million - exactly what is going to the GAA players, which was supposed to have been additional money."
