An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2021-10-14
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Tim Lombard (FG), Agricultural Panel

I will follow on from the theme the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, spoke about, namely, women's participation in agriculture. I understand there are approximately 127,000 farms in Ireland, one eighth of which are owned or operated by females. We had a really interesting discussion on this issue at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine on 21 September. More debate and acknowledgement of it is required. Maybe we could use this good Chamber to have such a debate and bring the women's forum involved in agriculture before us. That would be a good meeting.
I also raise the issue of sports capital grants and the budget. Realistically, there is a call for €200 million for sporting projects under the current call for funding for clubs. Of the €40 million allotted in the previous budget, €12 million has been spent, which means that €28 million is left. There is a deficit in the fund, to say the least. Funding projects is a huge issue. Projects give communities the ability to empower themselves and provide local amenities for children and adults. During Covid times, we saw the benefit of having such amenities. A debate on sports capital grants and the allocation provided for in the budget, in particular through the Finance Bill, would be very welcome. If we get the budget for this right, it will have an impact on every village and town in Ireland.

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Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:49:42+00:00
Sitting date: 2021-10-14