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'No rational person could believe the GAA was treated unfairly' over Casement says ex-UK sports minister amid renewed push for government funding
@Source: newsletter.co.uk
Kate Hoey added that the government must stop "pandering to the loudest voice" when it comes to the GAA's demand for more sports cash. It comes as a large contingent of top GAA figures were in London, pressing the case for a deal to complete Casement, alongside the Alliance Party. Among those in attendance at the event were junior sports minister Stephanie Peacock. Afterwards Ulster GAA president Michael Geoghegan said: “We received strong support for the work that we are doing across these islands with the MPs we met, affirming the need for the UK Government to make a meaningful investment in Casement Park and help ensure that the NI Executive finally delivers on its 14-year commitment to have the stadium redeveloped. “We welcome the Secretary of State Hilary’s Benn commitment to see Casement Park built and we thank him for that assurance but now is the time for the UK Government to deliver on that promise and make the necessary investment to honour its commitment and that of its predecessor." Meanwhile Alliance's MP Sorcha Eastwood said: "Promises made need to be kept. Parliamentarians are here from right across the UK that back the GAA. "It is about a vote in our shared society. No more delays, we need to get Casement built.” Alliance was asked how much money the government should stump up for Casement, and what Ms Eastwood meant when she talked of "promises" being unfulfilled. No response came. The issue stems from 2011, when the Northern Irish government announced it would give money to three sporting outfits to rebuild their main stadiums: £61.4m to the IFA, £61.4m to the GAA, and £14.7m to Ulster Rugby. The football and rugby cash was spent years ago, but the GAA cash never was. That has been due to west Belfast residents' objections to its Casement plans and a ballooning bill for the stadium, which has gone from an original estimate of £77m to possibly above £400m (according to the UK government's estimate last year). Only £15m has been committed by the GAA itself. Baroness Hoey said: "There was never anything that said GAA was going to get three or four times as much as the other two sports. "The fact they've wasted years is not the fault of the government. They have to start being realistic." The Baroness, who served as Labour sports minister from 1999 to 2001 and later as an advisor on the 2012 Olympics, added: "It was originally a tripartite three sports arrangement, and our sports minister has to be very firm on that. "We can't just keep pandering to the loudest voice, and the loudest voice has been the GAA. If they're serious they should be putting in a lot more money. They don't seem to have come up with much extra. "Equality is what we're supposed to be all about. The GAA are trying to make out that they've been treated worse or more unequally, than the other sports. "I just don't accept that, and I don't think any rational person would accept that." A day earlier, Sinn Fein finance minister John O'Dowd had said he met with Treasury officials, and they appeared to be in "solution-finding mode" over the Casement question. The government told the News Letter: "We are continuing to engage with all partners involved in the Casement Park redevelopment, including the NI Executive and the GAA, to assess the options available regarding the project."
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