ISC seek piece of lotto cake

ALL the political parties scrambling to be part of the next government are being asked to guarantee that a percentage of National Lottery funding will be set aside for the use of the Irish Sports Council (ISC).

As things stand, income from the lottery goes directly to the central exchequer. It is only then it is decided how much should be dispersed and to whom, all of which leaves the ISC at the mercy of various economic and political realities.

The ISC, responsible for the funding of National Governing Bodies and high performance athletes, received €47m this year, which is actually less than 20% of the €265 taken in from the Lotto.