Vol. 562 No. 2
111 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if all grants which he will allocate under the national lottery in the future will be gender proofed to ensure equal treatment for male and female participants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5498/03]
The national lottery-funded sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, allocates funding to sporting and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country for projects which must be directly related to the provision of sport and recreation facilities.
The guidelines, terms and conditions of the programme clearly stipulate that "applicants will have to submit rules and procedures as evidence of non-discrimination on the grounds of sex, religion, ethnic origin etc." This emphasis on ensuring equality of treatment is reflected in the fact that grants allocated under the scheme are made available only to organisations whose membership is open to both sexes. It should, however, be borne in mind that in some situations patterns of participation may differ as between males and females.
Over €213 million has been allocated under the programme since 1998 to more than 2,900 projects. As far as the Department is aware, allegations of discriminatory practices have not been made against any of the recipients of these grants.
As the Deputy is aware, I have recently commenced work leading to the putting in place of a long-term strategic plan to ensure the development of sports facilities throughout the country. I assure the Deputy that the issue of ensuring equality of access and opportunity will be examined by the inter-agency steering group which is to be set up to oversee the preparation of this long-term strategy for the development of sports facilities.
I am sure the Minister will agree that the needs of women in sport have not been fully addressed over the years. The involvement of women in sport has been undervalued and, at times, even trivialised. Does the Minster agree that where facilities are provided for use by both sexes more women will participate, whether for reasons of leisure, recreation, health or higher performance? Across the country there are black spots where there are no sports facilities for women. Despite the aspiration implicit in the grant application procedures, improvements are not happening in practice. Gender proofing is not taking place. Grants are being allocated on the assumption of gender equality but it is not happening. Women throughout the country are being deprived of the opportunity to participate in sport, at whatever level they require. Will the Minister ensure that both sexes are treated equally and that all grants are properly gender proofed?
If one excludes the three major field sports of gaelic games, rugby and soccer the participation rate of women in sport is 50%. However, when those sports are included there is a disparity and participation of females is approximately 37% of male participation.
It is true that when grants are given to Gaelic games, soccer and rugby, females can participate. Some very fine Kerry footballers are female, as the Deputy will be aware. I agree with the Deputy that there is a need for a greater level of participation by women in sport generally. It is important to address this issue. In that context the audit and strategic review should provide some interesting answers.
When will that audit and strategic review be available?
It is getting under way this year but the experience in Northern Ireland, for example, is that reviews of this nature can take a very long time. The reason is that a survey has be done of the entire country to ascertain where the gaps are and what needs to be done to address those gaps. I cannot say how long it will take but we try to have it expedited in whatever way we can.
