FG attacks sports grant favouritism

THE favouritism of sports projects from minister’s home counties proves the need to take the granting of sports funding out of political hands, Fine Gael said yesterday.

Yesterday’s Irish Examiner revealed that Minister for Sport, John O’Donoghue, awarded €9 million worth of National Lottery sports grants to 103 projects that were not initially approved by his department.

After Dublin, Mr O’Donoghue’s home of Kerry with almost €850,000 and the Kildare base of the former Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy, at €1.7m were the top beneficiaries of the extra funding.