AFTER any major Irish sporting win, Taoisigh and ministers scramble to hitch their wagons to the latest star. But politicians have not been so quick to honour the original commitment given to sport when the National Lottery was created.

When plans for the National Lottery were being hatched, the public was told sport and youth projects would receive more than 55 per cent of the proceeds. However, according to the National Lottery's figures, this promise has been broken.

Between 1987 and 1995 what the Lottery categorises as youth, sport, recreation and amenities" received 34 per cent of the surplus some 20 per cent less than it was supposed to receive.

The president of the Olympic Council of Ireland, Mr Pat Hickey, is highly critical of the National Lottery spending on sport, and also the way the company uses sporting images in an attempt to create a feel good factor about buying a ticket or a scratch card.

According to Mr Hickey. "The biggest con job ever perpetrated on Irish sport and by implication on the Irish public in general as regards their contribution towards sport is the National Lottery." He argues that as soon as politicians realised how successful the National Lottery was going to be, they began to channel its profits into normal Exchequer funding.

However, Mr Hickey believes the public is still "fooled" into thinking that most of the money goes into sport because of the trendy television ads the Lottery people produce".

The biggest winner has been the category of "health and welfare" which has received 35 per cent of the surplus. When the lottery was being established the public was told that just 10 per cent of the profits would go to health and contingency provisions, or be paid to the Exchequer.

About 4.6p of every £1 spent on the National Lottery goes directly to sport, while 1.5p is used to fund the construction of recreational amenities. In contrast, the health and welfare sector receives 11.3p of every £1.

The central problem with the disbursement of Lottery funds is that the Government can do whatever it wants with the money. The Act which established the National Lottery states that the money can be used for such (if any) other purposes, and in such amounts, as the government may determine from time to time".

When the British government was setting up its national lottery avoided this flaw by stating that a fixed 28 per cent of sales would be divided equally between the five nominated beneficiaries. The five British groups which receive funding are the Sports Council, the Millennium Commission, the National Heritage Trust, the Charities Board and the Arts Council.

Between 1987 and 1995, sport in Ireland received just over £87 million from Lottery funds, distributed mainly by the Department of Education. During the same period, a further £28.9 million went towards the construction, development, and expansion of recreational facilities in the State.

The monies which go directly to sport are used in a wide range of programmes. Grants are paid directly to most of the national governing bodies and to the Olympic Council of Ireland. Lottery profits also help fund the employment of administrators and coaches. Elite sports people are also supported through two special grant schemes. Those who have benefited include Michelle Smith, Sonia O'Sullivan, Michael Carruth, Wayne McCullough, and Catherina McKiernan.

Some observers would argue that the entire £28.9 million allocated to "recreation, amenities" should be counted as a contribution to the overall investment in sport, but while many of the projects funded under this heading are directly related to sport, others have a much more tenuous link.