Association has three full-time staff

The Irish Amateur Swimming Association supports three full-time staff on its annual State grants, which totalled £230,000 last year. The association does not raise money itself and Exchequer funds were its sole income before their suspension this week.

The staff are a director of swimming and two administrators. Like officials in other minority sports, such as rowing and badminton, it has office facilities in the House of Sport on Dublin's Longmile Road.

Only £30,000 goes on salaries, with the biggest single grant of £65,000 going to administration and coaching costs. Grants for training for international competition account for £55,000, while £40,000 is earmarked for outstanding swimmers.

There is also a "special projects grant" of £20,000. Each of the provincial branches gets an allocation of £7,000 towards administration, with the exception of Ulster which, while affiliated to the IASA, gets funding from the UK.

The IASA's executive is voted in at annual general meetings. The presidency rotates annually between the provinces. The current president is Mr Donal Barry (Munster), who will be succeeded in April by Leinster's Ms Mary O'Malley.

A spokeswoman said complaints by swimmers are dealt with at provincial level.