O’Donoghue ‘has made National Lottery a political slush fund’

SPORTS Minister John O’Donoghue has turned the National Lottery into a ‘political slush fund’, Fine Gael said yesterday.

It described the €300,000 grant given to a Kerry rowing club in breach of Department guidelines as ‘Punchestown Mark Two’.

“The National Lottery has become a political slush fund. The points system can be circumvented and Fianna Fáil have manipulated it to suit their own electoral interest,” said sports spokesman Jimmy Deenihan.

The Killorglin Rowing Club, which is in Mr O’Donoghue’s constituency, was awarded the €300,000 grant one month before the 2002 general election.

The Irish Examiner revealed yesterday that the grant application had originally been given a score of 63, below the standard approval rating of 70. But following lobbying by Mr O’Donoghue, then Minister for Justice, Sports Minister Jim McDaid increased the points score to 74 and the grant was approved. After becoming Sports Minister, John O’Donoghue awarded the rowing club another grant of €250,000 in 2003.

Mr Deenihan said Mr O’Donoghue’s actions had damaged the credibility of the points system for determining National Lottery applications.

But Mr O’Donoghue denied on RTÉ radio and television that he had broken any rules.

“In January and March of 2002, I made representations to the then Minister, Dr James McDaid on behalf of the Killorglin Rowing Club. It was not communicated to me what number of points Killorglin Rowing Club had, all I knew was that this was a wonderful project and that it was a project which was deserving of grant aid,” he said.

In response to questions from the Irish Examiner, Mr O’Donoghue said a further €20 million had been made available for sports grants by Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy in 2002 and many additional clubs were awarded grants.

He said he was not aware if other grants were approved in contravention of Department guidelines.

He rejected calls for an independent body to administer the grants.

“The present system ensures Ministerial accountability to the Dáil for all decisions taken. This is a strength which ought not lightly be cast aside.”

According to locals in Killorglin, Mr O’Donoghue will receive an even bigger welcome when he opens the rowing club’s €690,000 boathouse on June 5.

“Whatever the other parties say, they’d be doing the same if they got half a chance,” said publican Declan Falvey. “He didn’t break the rules, he just bent them slightly.”