€69.7m Flutter on the Dogs, but No Money for Schoolbooks
While there was no money left to fund school books for disadvantaged children and school libraries are now to receive no funding at all, Fianna Fáil somehow managed to scrape together €69.7m (that’s €69.7 million) to pay for the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund. That money is used to pay for Horse Racing Ireland and possibly the most scandal-ridden State body of the last decade, Bord na gCón.
creative commons: Cynergy
And it doesn’t stop there.
Ruairi Quinn TD:
“Although the government has decided to increase the school building programme, it has cut back on the funds to furnish national schools. What’s the point in building classrooms that will have no desks or equipment? This smells like a dig-out to builders.”.
Of course, it wouldn’t be the only dig-out to builders in this budget.
Funny how all of that went under the radar while everyone was distracted with the medical card debacle.
And over half of the HRI portion of the €69.7m will go on prize money to thoroughbred owners…Hardly the most needy bunch…