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JOINT COMMITTEE ON ARTS, SPORT, TOURISM, COMMUNITY, RURAL AND GAELTACHT AFFAIRS debate -
Wednesday, 24 May 2006

Participation in the Olympic Games: Ministerial Presentation.

I welcome the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Deputy O'Donoghue, and his officials. We have invited the Minister to hear his response to the recommendations set out in the committee's eighth report published in November 2005, Ireland and the Olympics: From Athens to London. The last two Olympics, Athens in 2004 and Sydney in 2000, brought with them major reviews and recommendations. However, almost two years have elapsed and we are half way through the preparation time for Beijing. There is the cycle of the games, review, recommendations and implementation. While we seek to learn from past performances it creates a stop-start approach to development and planning for the Olympics. The reason for our report was to look at 2012 and have a longer-term approach to the Olympics rather than the stop-start reaction to major reports and recommendations.

The key recommendation in our report, "That the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism establish and chair a steering committee to co-ordinate and manage the 2012 Olympic Roadmap", involves the Minister and his Department specifically. The joint committee fully appreciates the role of the Irish Sports Council in this area but the Department's co-ordinating role on an informal, rather than a legislative, basis is very important. All the evidence suggests there is a grave need for a departmental monitoring role and for some ministerial knocking of heads.

Other recommendations include the immediate establishment of the institute of sport, the revamping of the carding scheme, including its extension to coaches; increased Irish Sports Council funding for primary school sports activity and the specific point made concerning drug use. We realise that not all those recommendations come within the Minister's remit or his area of influence, but we make the point that as the holder of the Cabinet portfolio for sport he has the status and impetus to ensure that as a nation we do not have to revisit some of the debacles in which we found ourselves in the recent Olympics. That is where we are coming from.

I express my appreciation of the interest and commitment shown by this distinguished parliamentary committee in our country's top level Olympic and Paralympic sports. The committee's focus on the area and the report and recommendations which have been published, give an important signal that sport does matter in Irish life. The committee's attention helps to encourage the efforts of the agencies, governing bodies, clubs and individuals involved and assure them that their work is valued and that the investment of human and financial resources and their outcomes is of consequence to the Irish people.

The measure of a country's success in sport is manifold and cannot be based on Olympic medals alone. The range, variety, quality and standards of excellence reached in such a wide spectrum of sports, the numbers participating and the host of great supporters, the number of players at local, county and league levels in our many domestic sports, the hundreds and thousands of volunteers, taken with the social, economic and health benefits accruing to us as individuals and as a nation, mark Ireland out as a very special place indeed — a fact that is sometimes not fully appreciated here.

The last ten years have seen a dramatic increase in Government funding for Irish sport, from €17 million in 1997 to over €243 million in 2006, with a total of over €750 million in Government spending on sport to support the development of a new sporting infrastructure and to support a range of sporting programmes, including the identification, development and nurturing of elite sports people and the provision of the financial, medical, coaching and performance supports needed to sustain performance at the highest level. The budget for the Irish Sports Council has increased from €13.2 million in 2000, its first full year of operation, to €40.9 million in 2006 and in all the council has received since its inception almost €200 million.

The Irish Sports Council is helping the national governing bodies to identify their strengths and weaknesses and greater emphasis has been placed on the need for strategic planning, the achievement of value for money and the introduction of measurement criteria. Such a supportive approach for the national governing bodies is also reflected in the increased funding which the Sports Council has been able to invest in their work. In 2005 approximately €7 million was invested in the national governing bodies. The financial support and advice from the Irish Sports Council enables the national governing bodies to train and employ coaches, organise training camps, carry out their administration and planning and prepare teams to compete in major international events such as the Olympic games, Paralympic games, world championships, European championships and home internationals. Core funding for national governing bodies, NGBs, has been increased to €7.63 million in 2006.

Five years ago we set out on a path to improve, on a sustained and consistent basis, our ability to perform as a nation at the world's greatest sporting platform, the Olympic Games. For a small country we have had a proud track record at the Olympics, but it had become apparent in recent times that the landscape had changed internationally, the metaphorical bar had been raised, and in order to compete successfully in the future we would have to significantly modernise and improve, as a nation, our approach to preparations for the games. That process, which began after the Sydney Olympics, is ongoing.

In July 2004, the Irish Sports Council in conjunction with the Olympic Council of Ireland and the Paralympic Council of Ireland commissioned the Athens review to produce an objective assessment of the preparation and performance of the Irish teams at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Athens 2004. The final report, published in March 2005, draws on the lessons of the last Olympic cycle and on international experience to set out how we can achieve consistent success at Olympic and Paralympic Games. The council has completed its assessment of the conclusions and recommendations of the Athens review, has prepared its operational plan, which addresses key performance indicators, timescales and costings and identifies the roles of the various agencies, as it supports Ireland's Olympic and Paralympic preparations for Beijing and beyond.

The plan encompasses elements such as the introduction of targeted sport performance plans including prioritising junior, development and elite athletes; a review of the international carding system; proposals for the development of an Irish institute of sport; maintaining and enhancing the role of the Olympic and Paralympic performance committees to ensure optimum co-operation in the preparation and performance of the Irish team for the Beijing and London Olympic Games, and the strengthening of the Olympic Council of Ireland's administrative capacities.

Ireland's elite athletes and players received €1.92 million in grants under the international carding scheme in 2006. The Irish Sports Council also recently announced investment of €4.25 million in the performance plans of 15 focus sports for 2006. These strands of investment added together bring the funding provided directly for high performance sport in 2006 to over €6 million.

The ISC has also finalised its proposals for the creation of an Irish institute of sport. An additional €1 million has been already been allocated to the council in 2006 towards this important development. Building on the range of supports already in place for high performance sports, the planned facilities at the sports campus at Abbotstown and the network of high quality facilities throughout the country will help deliver the infrastructure needed for the future development of our elite competitors.

I am committed to the establishment of the sports institute and thank the committee for its clear support for this major fundamental initiative for Irish top-level sport. I am currently finalising my consideration of the council's proposals and intend to submit the institute proposals for Government approval without delay.

The Irish Sports Council continues to make excellent progress in its preparations for Beijing 2008 and London 2012. Significant investment is being made in NGB performance plans and the international carding scheme. The work of the Olympic performance committee, which the council jointly chairs, will ensure that all athletes have a professionally managed and performance driven Olympic experience.

The council acknowledges the need to continue the development of a well-structured and resourced high-performance system. Irish sport is seeking to succeed quickly in an increasingly competitive and intensely focused sporting world where very large investments are being made by other countries to gain success. However, we should not lose sight of the requirement to take a long-term approach to athlete support and recognise that equivalent nations continue to raise the bar on both funding and expertise. It is felt, however, that the framework for success in the future is being put in place and that Irish athletes will continue to compete effectively at the highest levels.

There is no easy fix available. We may have entertained unrealistic expectations of a swift pay-back from the improved investment in the Athens cycle. It was too short a timeframe, especially in comparison with major competitors. We have invested substantially in sport but we started behind others and it will take time to catch up. We need to think and plan long in our athlete support strategies. That is the correct way to go, but it will not produce instant dividends.

In addition to the support services available to our elite sportspersons in the form of finance, coaching, competition and sport science, a further key requirement is the availability of modern well-equipped sporting facilities. The foundation for the much improved sporting infrastructure of the country has been the national lottery-funded sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department. This programme covers all possible types of facility and project sizes. Since 1998 a total of €395 million has been allocated to 4,923 projects to provide facilities and equipment in every community in Ireland as well as a number of major infrastructure projects ensuring the delivery of sport in every corner of the country. We are also developing a network of top quality facilities around the country designed to meet the training, coaching and competition needs of our elite competitors in a wide spectrum of sports. Among the major projects which have been supported are the Croke Park stadium, the National Aquatic Centre, the national rowing centre at Inniscarra, the national tennis centre, the national boxing stadium and the national hockey stadium at UCD. We intend to continue to develop additional facilities of this nature, and the Government's decision to proceed with the first phase of the sports campus at Abbotstown is further evidence of our commitment to ensuring our sportspersons have available to them facilities in which they can train and compete.

The various recommendations published in the committee's eighth report in November 2005 are being addressed in a comprehensive range of interventions and initiatives, as I have already outlined. Clearly, most of those recommendations are the direct responsibility of the Irish Sports Council as the statutory body concerned and for the Olympic Council of Ireland, but I am confident that the committee will see that both organisations, together with the Paralympic Council, the national governing bodies and the athletes themselves, are dealing effectively and enthusiastically with the tasks and the challenges outlined in the committee report and recommendations.

On the first recommendation, I am pleased to inform the committee that detailed proposals have been prepared in my Department for the establishment of a broad-based planning committee which would capitalise on the opportunities presented by the 2012 London Olympics. I will shortly announce details of this interagency group which will oversee the development of a planned approach to ensure that all commercial, business, tourism and sport opportunities for Ireland are maximised. I have also discussed the situation with David Hanson MP, former Northern Ireland Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure, and with Richard Caborn MP, the British Minister for Sport, who have warmly welcomed an all-island approach to ensure that Ireland fully avails of the many benefits which can be gained from the proximity of such a major event taking place on our doorstep.

I have discussed preparations for the 2008 Olympics with both the president of the Olympic Council of Ireland and the chairman of the Irish Sports Council and am at one with them and with the views of this committee on the need to ensure that our Olympic preparations take cognisance of the issues highlighted in the Athens review and in the recommendations of the joint committee. The establishment of an Irish institute of sport is a priority.

I thank this joint committee for its significant and welcome contributions to the further development of Irish sport and the measures needed to achieve improved, sustained and consistent performance levels in world and Olympic sport. The committee's support, advice and encouragement is appreciated by all involved and I hope its members will be reassured that the issues they raised are being tackled in a effective, strategic and imaginative way and in a positive spirit of co-operation between the agencies and organisations involved.

I will be pleased to address any observations members may have on the committee's report and the actions being taken in the areas covered by the various recommendations.

I imagine I speak on behalf of the committee in saying it is gratifying that while we produce many reports, this one certainly has not been left on a shelf. I thank the Minister and his Department for the positive words and the action being taken, especially regarding the proposed institute of sport. As the Minister said about our first recommendation — putting an end to stop-start ventures and thinking long term for our athletes and a sports strategy — that is the correct way to go. What is important is that the strategy is right. The strategy we came up with and which the Minister has supported today will pay dividends either immediately or in the slightly longer term. I acknowledge the Minister's comments and thank him for his announcements.

I join in welcoming the Minister and his two officials, Con Haugh and Paddy Heffernan, to the meeting.

I am glad the Minister is taking our report seriously and considering putting some of the recommendations in place. I remind the Minister of a report I did myself some time ago for this committee on women and sport, and the recommendations I made. Considering recent successes, the best chance we have of success down the road in the Olympics is with female athletes. In view of Ireland's achievements recently through Sonia O'Sullivan, Derval O'Rourke and Gillian O'Sullivan, we must concentrate on promoting women's sport in this country. I will present the report to the Minister. I strongly recommend he should consider not only the recommendations of the joint committee but also the recommendations in the report I spent months compiling and which cost the committee €2,000.

The Minister responded to the report in a way because in last year's budget he allocated €2.5 million for women's sports initiatives, while in the previous budget the allocation was €750,000. I urge the Minister to maintain this funding and, if possible, increase it in the future. I am convinced that a woman will win the next gold medal for Ireland in the Olympics.

With regard to today's discussion, the Sports Council and the Olympic Council of Ireland should be before the committee as well as the Minister. Many of the recommendations of our report are the direct responsibility of those councils. If both bodies were attending this meeting, we could have a more holistic discussion on the way forward.

I wish to discuss three recommendations of the joint committee. The first is for the establishment of an institute of sport. I have been campaigning for this for 20 years. I am delighted that progress has been made and that we are now at the stage of making an announcement. I asked the Minister in the Dáil if he would give serious consideration to the National Coaching and Training Centre in Limerick. All the facilities are there and it is next door to the arena. There are sports science facilities in UL and there are good transport links to the city, including Shannon Airport. Given the talk about decentralisation of facilities, this location would be most appropriate. I am sure Deputy Collins and other Deputies and Senators from the region would support Limerick as the location for the institute of sport.

I envisage other nodes, if one can call them that, in places such as Dublin, at Abbottstown, UCD and Dublin University because they are already working on elite athletes. They have effective scholarship schemes and they could be tied in with this. There also could be nodes in Cork and Galway and there could be ties to Jordanstown in Northern Ireland, which has a successful sports institute. They could then, in turn, be connected with the Institute of Sport in the UK.

The infrastructure exists already. What is needed in Limerick to make it a national institute of sport is the expertise. It needs sports scientists and the proper medical back-up. Everything else is there. What will transform it into a sports institute is personnel and the key coaching people. There is no point creating another body because it will only duplicate the National Coaching and Training Centre and will be unnecessary. The structure is already in place. Allocating the human resources to the National Coaching and Training Centre will create a sports institute.

This proposal has been put forward previously. It is the direction the Minister should take. In the era of decentralisation it is only right that something so significant should be located in another part of the country rather than Dublin. The nodes will be very important as well. Young people, even in preparation for the Olympics, will not travel huge distances for training. Many good athletes are deciding to give up training because it involves travelling too far from their homes and schools.

The athletes that will represent us in London are now in secondary school. They have a choice between pursuing an athletic career or an academic career. Unfortunately, unlike Holland and other countries where there is something at the end of an athletic career, there are no such guarantees in Ireland. Students, therefore, are opting in some cases for an academic career. They will perform locally but they are not prepared to put in the type of work that is necessary to become an Olympic athlete because of the distance from coaching and other training facilities. Unless there is regional distribution of coaching facilities and nodes in different parts of the country, we will not achieve the desired effect.

We have seen how successful the sports institutes have been in Australia and New Zealand. They have yielded considerable results. It is the reason both those countries and the UK have made so much headway in athletics.

The other two recommendations I will discuss are Nos. 17 and 18. The first is that the Government increase its primary school funding for sports development over the 2006 to 2008 period. Some time ago I conducted a survey of the primary schools in the country. I was frustrated by getting no replies to parliamentary questions about facilities in schools. Of the 3,200 primary schools in the country, 1,400 responded. Of those, only 23%, or 332, had sports halls and of those only 36 had sports halls more than the size of two badminton courts. That is very small, at approximately 170 square metres.

Given our weather, unless there are indoor facilities in the primary schools it is impossible to do physical education classes for children. Apart from the preparation of future sports people, the obesity report stated that there are 300,000 young people who are either overweight or obese. The number is increasing by 10,000 every year. The obesity report referred to physical education but it did not put much emphasis on it. However, one way of combating the epidemic of obesity is through physical education in the schools.

Some members of the committee use the gym that was opened some time ago for Members of the Oireachtas and Oireachtas staff. It is clear that the people who are using the gym have got fit and lost weight. Exercise has a beneficial effect. The problem is that people do not exercise any more. Youngsters are not exercising and that is proven by numerous studies carried out in this country. There is now an industry in measuring obesity. Various people and agencies are employed weighing children. The children are getting no exercise because the halls are not being provided in schools.

One recommendation I made during the Estimates debate was that the Minister give preference to any application for national lottery funding if it involved a school, a sports hall and a local club. It is one way of providing some of the schools with sports halls, which they could not acquire otherwise. The Department of Education and Science has a policy of providing classrooms but not sports halls. That is a fact. It is trying to spread its resources throughout the country and there is pressure to provide classrooms but none to provide sports halls. Our children are suffering. If we wish to produce athletes for elite athletics or Olympic Games, we must start in the schools. We are losing out on the potential of great talent because they do not get the opportunity in school to develop their skills.

From 2002, a good grant scheme was introduced for sports equipment for schools. Ordinary schools were eligible for €620 and disadvantaged schools for €1,000. It was a successful scheme which enabled teachers to purchase proper sports equipment. However, the then Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Noel Dempsey, scrapped this scheme. The result is that in many instances teachers must buy items such as footballs and gear for their classes. In many cases, food companies will sponsor school football teams provided they can have their vending machines and products sold in the tuck shop. The youngsters playing on the team will benefit from the sponsorship but at the expense of the kids eating the energy-dense foods. This is a contradiction.

It is a disgrace that the small grant scheme for sports equipment was removed. When it comes to investment in physical education, we are not at the races. This is not the situation in the top competing countries such as Australia and New Zealand. Having been a PE teacher, I know this from surveys and feedback from other teachers.

Due to the choice of subjects and the points system, physical education is being squeezed off the school curriculum. Only 30% of schools have PE at senior cycle because it is not offered as an exam subject. This important subject in teenagers' development and an outlet for exercise is simply not offered in many schools. When the overall body is being established, it should address the matter of PE as a subject in schools. Any sports coach with a discerning eye will easily see if an individual has an ability for a particular sport.

The national lottery, put in place by the Fine Gael-Labour Government in 1987, has made a contribution to the sports development area. In fairness, the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism has substantially increased funding. We still have a long way to go, however. If we want to win gold medals at the Beijing or London games, we must get real. It is fine establishing bodies to deal with this but the investment must be put in at grassroots and secondary school level. Those attending secondary school now will be the ones competing for us at the London games.

I compliment the Minister on the positive response he gave to the committee's report. The figures for investment in sports development are impressive. Sport has obviously benefited from the Celtic tiger.

The national sports governing bodies are expected to base their headquarters at the sports campus in Abbotstown. Has there been a good response from the various organisations? It will be a centre of excellence with top-of-the-range equipment and facilities for sports medicine and drugs-testing. There is a need for such facilities to be made available to ensure our athletes are not forced to go abroad to access such facilities. I welcome the speedy setting-up of the institute of sport.

I also welcome the Minister's plans to put in place a broadly based committee to manage and co-ordinate the 2012 Olympic roadmap. The committee recommended that the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism should provide the chairman to the committee. Is it the Minister's intention that this should happen?

The Minister pointed out that some of the report's recommendations do not relate to his Department. Recommendations Nos. 17 and 18 of the joint committee's report on funding for primary and secondary school PE are directed to the Irish Sports Council. Has the Minister had discussions with the Irish Sports Council on increased funding for primary school sport and the co-ordination of a new secondary schools' PE initiative in association with the Departments of Education and Science and Health and Children?

The joint committee's report also recommended a pilot mentor programme to the sports council. Is the Minister favourable to this concept? Has he had any indication from the sports council that such a programme should be in operation? One can have a situation where a previously carded athlete is in one part of the country while the upcoming athlete is in another. This would ensure the right contact is made.

The recommendation that the Irish Sports Council should undertake annual independent research to measure the satisfaction rating for athletes for the Olympic preparation planning is a sound one. Such independent research would do much towards keeping relationships between athletes and the Irish Sports Council in the best frame. The recommendation stated:

The co-ordinating committee in consultation with athletes and support agencies prepare a comprehensive strategy for the development and management of "team spirit", embodying national pride ...

Does the Minister intend to have the co-ordinating committee address this matter soon after it is put in place? It is a vital ingredient to our success.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire agus oifigigh na Roinne. Having listened to the Minister's relatively short address, one is struck by his success in distilling into his speech much of the debate and aspirations regarding not just the Olympics but sport in general. It is important for athletes because certain pressures emanate from these debates which are not good for performances. In a nine-year period, grant aid to sport has increased 16 fold, an impressive figure. The Minister has made clear the importance of sport in the life of the nation, community and individual.

We had a good record in amateur circles, even prior to State funding, particularly in Gaelic sports, and now the other codes are also doing well. In athletics we suffered over the years from unfortunate conflict and splits in organisations but we have a record of which we can be proud. I doubt anyone of a certain age will ever forget Ronnie Delaney's victory at the Olympics. We could compare that era and his training regime, which brought him to the pinnacle with the situation we have today and how the training regime responds to changes in international competition. The Minister referred to this in his speech. We must tailor our expectations to reality. If we do not do that, there will be tension in athletics and significant pressure on athletes. In looking forward to Beijing or London, we are talking about a long time. The situation in a training regime can change in two or three years.

The attitude of other countries to international athletics involves a regime of cultivation, where young people are spotted very early by a network of talent scouts. When talent is spotted, opportunities are provided for that young person, not just in sport but in education, with a guarantee of a third level position. Within the colleges, the regime is tailored to ensure they will achieve their full potential. That could be considered here. Some might suggest such a system exists but I do not believe it does. We can all remember Eamon Coughlan and John Treacy who had to leave Ireland to avail of education structures as well as training facilities in other countries. It would be a good idea to look at the talent scout approach to see if it is possible to identify sports prodigies and help them in every way. If they are to develop to their full potential, pressure must be removed from them. We cannot tell a young people to do their best if they also have to think about a career. That will not bring them far.

I sat on a committee when we investigated the idea of attracting the Olympics to Ireland. At our meetings I was struck by the fact that it is big business. Sometimes participation seems peripheral, similar to how the Eurovision Song Contest has become a political stage instead of a talent contest. There is a danger the same could happen in athletics. We are a small country that cannot compete in such a power structure.

We are, however, genuinely able to compete in terms of commitment to sport and a background in it. The Government, in an impressive and generous way, has underlined that with the finance it has made available.

When difficulties arise in the context of the Olympic Council of Ireland and personalities, it often becomes the big story and does not help our athletes. There must be a way to ensure that if we reach pressure points, this will not happen again. We also have an exceptionally good regime when it comes to illicit drugs. The very few cases that have been discovered had to be reported but they became the big story, distracting and detracting from the 99% of people who are not involved in such activities.

The Minister is right to bring matters right down to the supporters, they are part of it. No one interested in sport would suggest that a good, well informed and committed body of followers does not help the morale of the participants. We saw that in Cardiff last weekend and we have seen it in Croke Park. Participation at community level is a major element of the morale that is so important.

Deputy Deenihan mentioned schools. We have come a long way from the time when we togged out for a match at the side of a ditch and played on a wet day and then put on the same clothes. I am not saying we should go back to that but we had sheer commitment then and to an extent that gets diluted by professionalism. That is not to say professionalism should not be allowed but we must build to ensure we are helping at community level. That is what the Minister does every time he announces his sports grants, which are not all based in Dublin and which percolate through the whole community, every village and town. This is not the State telling them what to do, it is them applying for money to help the voluntary effort. We know how successful that has been and the value for money it has offered.

The Minister has distilled in his submission the parameters we must aim for. He is correct, we must set performance goals at all levels and not just because grant aid is being provided. Those who compete in the Olympics represent the nation so it is important that they realise other people must have an input into the regime.

It is worth considering the talent scout idea to provide a structure to ensure young people with potential are cushioned through every aspect of their lives until they are ready for the Olympics.

I welcome the Minister to the committee and congratulate all concerned on the magnificent work of the Department. There is no doubt this Department has done extremely well in recent years in the work it has done in every parish. The Minister makes sure, when an application is before him, that 30% of the finance will be provided by the local community. That is the secret because if that requirement were not in place, that work would not be done as it should.

Deputy Deenihan would be upset if I did not support his call for the establishment of a national institute of sport in Limerick. It is only natural and right that I do so. I know that if I did not, it would be thrown back in my face. The already established National Coaching and Training Centre at the University of Limerick is being used by athletes from all over the world and is a credit to its founders. I do not want to be political about this issue——

That is where the Munster rugby team trained and is why it is dominant in the sport at the moment.

We are a great sporting nation. There is a saying from Deputy Deenihan's part of the country, "we would follow your cap". I congratulate the Munster team for its magnificent performance last Saturday in Cardiff. I spoke to Deputy O'Shea about the match yesterday and we remarked on the commitment and dedication of the players and the fact that they saw no danger. That is the type of spirit that is needed to succeed and it exists in every parish. The supporters were not all from Munster, they were from County Kilkenny and many other parts of the country. The match contributed enormously to tourism in this country and to a positive image of Limerick city, which has a bad name in some quarters. It was great to see the spectators in Limerick cheering on the team. It was a magnificent spectacle. There were celebrations in Cork last night and the team is also due to visit Waterford.

As the Minister has said, no easy fix is available. Such events do not happen overnight. That rugby team, as with any team, did a lot of hard work and training because it had to be as professional as its opponents. Irrespective of the code, if individuals or teams are not as professional as their opponents, they are not in the race.

The data supplied by the Minister are very detailed and well worth studying. I note that in the past ten years Government funding for Irish sport totalled €750 million, which is magnificent. We need only look to Croke Park, the National Aquatic Centre, the National Rowing Centre, the National Tennis Centre and so forth, to see where the money has been spent. There is no doubt we now have the best stadium in the world, second only perhaps to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, which has a roof. We have a magnificent stadium in Croke Park which is a credit to us.

Developments are taking place all over the country and are not confined to Dublin. Many villages and towns have received funding from the National Lottery and used it to develop sports facilities. Likewise, the larger population centres like Cork, Killarney, Limerick, Waterford, Kilkenny and Galway have all been financially rewarded.

I commend the Minister and his officials who are doing a marvellous job. I hope they are in a position to continue to do so and I thank the Government for providing the necessary finance for the Department.

I compliment the Minister and his staff on their dynamic, progressive and energetic approach to sport. I support Deputies Collins and Deenihan with regard to the institute in Limerick. I ask the Minister to give us some indication of the model the Department proposes to follow in the establishment of the institute. I also support the view that Limerick is an ideal location for the institute, in view of the amount of related activity that is already taking place there, the relationship the city has with sport in general and the fact that the University of Limerick is already well established. It is important that any new institute would be linked to the university and college systems.

I ask the Minister to ensure that in the establishment of the institute, in so far as is possible, there will be an avoidance of duplication of human and other resources. As Deputy Deenihan has argued, it is important it would not overlap with other organisations, associations and bodies which are doing very important work in their own right and in their own areas.

I urge the Minister to take more account of marine leisure and sport in the future. It is developing at a great pace. There was considerable participation in surfing events on the Clare coast recently and at Lahinch in particular. More attention and Government funding should be devoted to the development of marina facilities and the activities generated around them. It is important to encourage young people to get involved in marine activities generally and it is an area that has the potential to have an enormous economic impact, especially on our coastal communities.

There is a growing awareness of the necessity for the provision of defibrillators in sporting clubs. I understand action will be taken in that area. We have had tragedies in the recent past and the lack of defibrillators and other health equipment is causing anxiety. I am aware the HSE has functions in this regard but perhaps the Department could liaise with the executive to ensure attention is paid to the provision of health-related equipment in sporting clubs.

I endorse the remarks of Deputy Collins regarding the events at the weekend and congratulate Limerick in particular. The success of the Munster team has ignited a passion for sport generally, particularly among the younger generation and will have a positive long-term impact in terms of encouraging greater involvement in many sporting activities, not just rugby.

The Minister has made a considerable contribution in this area. His dynamic approach to the subject has been enthusiastically welcomed by the wider community and I wish him continued success in that regard.

I join Deputy Collins in congratulating the Munster team and, to be parochial, it was great to see the team being led onto the field by a Clare man.

If Limerick does not want the proposed institute, it could be located at Shannon or Ennis.

A total of 4,923 projects have benefited from the Government spending of €395 million since 1998. I urge the Minister to consider the situation in small communities where it is not possible to raise 30% of the required funds. It is difficult for small clubs to survive because of enormous expenses, including insurance and the provision of equipment. I suggest to the Minister and his officials that they should not be so strict if a small club cannot raise the required funding. If a club receives some funding from the National Lottery and the local people see the development beginning, they will support it whereas they may be very slow to support it initially and raise 30% of the funding if they see no hope of the development ever taking place. I ask the Minister and his officials not to be so strict in their application of the 30% funding rule when it comes to smaller clubs. Also, if we are funding schools, it is important that small schools are not asked to put up the matching funding. I know that when it starts, the communities will finish it. I ask the Minister and his officials to examine that aspect carefully.

I apologise for my late arrival. I was detained at another meeting and it had nothing to do with the fact that I was coming into a meeting completely dominated by Munster men. Looking around this room——

Leinster will win next year.

——Leinster will not even be able to put out a table.

I join my colleagues in congratulating the Minister and his officials on the huge progress that has been made. I will not labour the points already made by my colleagues but want I to raise a number of issues. I welcome especially the representatives of the institute and wish them well with the planning for that. I congratulate them on the opportunity identified with the London Olympics, which is huge boost for sport in this country. I am aware they have dealt with that in a thorough manner and wish them well with it. England's good fortune, which in this case is a rarity, will turn out to be Ireland's good fortune also.

I want to raise three issues. In the aftermath of the weekend there is a warm glow and good feeling generally about sport in Ireland — I agree with Senator Daly on that. Munster's victory has given an impetus to all sports, which is welcome. One possible glitch on the horizon, which is worthy of comment, concerns the difficulties of the Gaelic Players Association in dealing with the GAA. Far be it from me to lecture the GAA on any issue but I was involved centrally in rugby at a time when the very issues now being addressed by the GAA were being addressed by those in the amateur game of rugby. Rugby went professional despite its authorities, not because of them, and I would not like an issue such as this to cause harm to the association. The GAA is not only at the centre of each community in Ireland, it is at the very centre of our social fabric. Rugby was dragged kicking and screaming into professionalism because the players, and I was one of them at the time, were not respected for their amateur input. Somebody in the southern hemisphere, a recently deceased man by the name of Kerry Packer, saw the opportunity and put money that people could only dream of into what was an amateur game.

I have worked closely with the GPA on this issue and I do not believe its members want pay for play. There are similarities between their predicament and the predicament I and my colleagues in rugby found ourselves in 20 years ago. They are almost identical. We did not want a professional game either. All we wanted was to have our efforts recognised and respected, and I urge the GAA to move in that direction. Pay for play may come in the back door if the issue is not dealt with. The GAA should control it and retain control of it but to do that realistically, it must move with what is required. Otherwise, my fear is that it will lose control of it in the same way the rugby authorities lost control of it.

Deputy Collins commented on the amount of money allocated under the national sports capital scheme over a number of years. That is welcome. We are now getting to a stage where the minority sports are beginning to have a real chance of funding because the major sports, to a large extent, have been well looked after already. It is important that we examine a means of encouraging minority sports in particular that do not have any fixed assets in terms of land or buildings. Those fixed assets are the basis of the majority of current applications but the minority sports — boxing was mentioned and I would include basketball and hockey but athletics would be the main one — do not have the money. Those clubs have never been able to provide themselves with the fixed assets necessary to form the basis of a lottery application.

We could examine the potential of a scheme whereby one facility in each town, and in almost all cases it will be the local GAA club, would provide additional facilities such as a running track or indoor facilities for boxing or basketball. Some form of joint venture can be encouraged and promoted to ensure those minority sports do not suffer from what is a type of chicken and egg situation. Some imaginative scheme could be considered whereby they could join with the anchor facility, for want of a better phrase, and come forward with modern facilities for themselves to encourage participation in their own sport.

I again congratulate the Minister and his officials. The past decade has been a marvellous one for Irish sport and in terms of the way the money invested in sport is being spent. As a result, we can look forward to punching way above our weight long into the future.

We strayed somewhat from the Olympics but we have come back to it again.

I thank the Chairman, Deputies Deenihan, O'Shea, Collins, Breen and Glennon, and Senators Ó Murchú and Daly for their contributions.

On the issue of women in sport, we have sought to attract more women into sport but it is disappointing that only 10% of women are actively engaged in sport. This year, therefore, we have upped the allocation for women in sport. Last year we allocated €750,000. This year we have increased that to €1.5 million in the hope that it will attract more women into sport. That means that, this year and last year, the spend on attracting women into sport will be €2.25 million, which is no small amount when it is specifically for that purpose. I am aware that the Irish Sports Council is finishing its proposal on its response for 2006 and we hope to announce the details later on.

Deputy Deenihan also raised the question of the institute of sport, as did Senator Daly and Deputy O'Shea. The position regarding the location of the institute of sport is that the existing providers of specialist supports for lead performers, including Limerick, will have key roles in the institute of sport. The National Coaching and Training Centre in Limerick, which has provided valuable support to our unique athletes in recent years, will still have a crucial role to play. The proposed development at Abbotstown and the existing national regional training centres will be an integral part of the institute also. We are developing the specific format of the institute in line with the proposals of the report of the advisory group.

I have visited Limerick and I have seen the facilities to which Deputies Deenihan and Collins and Senator Daly refer, and there is no question that they are of the highest quality. The institute has hosted many athletes from abroad and I have no doubt it will play a crucial role in the concept of an institute for sport in the country. I have no doubt also that it will host many international athletes in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympic Games and beyond.

The proposal to establish an institute of sport was devised following an extensive consultative process in which I was engaged. We included both national and international experts in drawing the conclusions. I look forward to the day when we will be able to put forward details to enable the structure to get up and running.

In general terms, everyone would accept that the establishment of an institute of sport is a major milestone in Irish sport. It is necessary that all the issues and challenges which relate to its establishment are thoroughly considered and that consideration is now almost complete.

It is great to see that the members of the committee are enthusiastic about the potential of the institute of sport to become a source of real support for Ireland's elite athletes by making best emerging technology, sports science and sports medicine available to them, thereby bringing our support system in line with those available elsewhere. Existing providers of specialist support to elite performers will have a key role in its new structure.

Significant progress has already been achieved in recent years, including the development of a high performance system in the country in terms of increased funding, specific support programmes and the construction of national and regional training centres. These aspects, allied to the increased support which we have given to the Sports Council, have certainly improved our prospects in the short, medium and long term.

As for funding for sports facilities in primary and secondary schools, I have a specific budget which is for national governing bodies, NGBs, the Sports Council and sports clubs. However, under the sports capital programme we support joint applications between schools and local clubs. I acknowledge the importance of introducing young people to sport and all physical activities at an early age. In the development of a new strategy for sports facilities, the relationship between the sports capital programme and school facilities will be considered. The Department of Education and Science is represented on the steering group working on the development of the new strategy which is to be ready by the end of this year.

The roll-out of the local sports partnership is a key component of the Sports Council's strategy for 2006-08. The council's aim is to have a nationwide network of partnerships at the end of the strategy period. Much of the work of the local sports partnerships is related to school activities through the Buntús programme.

Deputy O'Shea asked about Abbotstown. The sports campus there, to which the Government has committed €119 million, will provide state-of-the-art facilities, including residential accommodation for our sports people. In that way, they will receive the very best quality of support. In that context, the first NGB to go into Abbotstown will be the FAI. There is a great level of interest among the national sporting bodies in placing their headquarters at Abbotstown.

Deputy O'Shea commented on recommendation No. 13, which is that the Irish Sports Council should develop a pilot mentoring programme for previously carded athletes with a view to facilitating knowledge transfer to new athletes. The Irish Sports Council has set aside funds in 2006 to establish an athlete lifestyle programme, which will include a mentoring programme for existing athletes. The council has begun the process of identifying a co-ordinator for that programme and expects an appointment to be made later this year.

The question of the Sports Council of Ireland undertaking annual independent research to measure the satisfaction rating of athletes in terms of Olympic preparation planning was also referred to, as was the question of support agencies reviewing areas of improvement bi-annually, especially drug use and the use of dietary supplements. The Irish Sports Council continues to engage with governing bodies and athletes regularly and will continue to adjust and adapt its funding programme as appropriate.

It is proposed that an external agency will be commissioned in the final quarter of this year to assess the progress that has been made in the context of the recommendations of the Athens review. A survey of the athletes will be undertaken as part of the process of assessment.

I meet the chairperson of the Sports Council regularly to discuss the implementation of elements of sports policy which are the responsibility of the council, including implementation of the recommendations in the Athens review. Officials in the Department meet the Sports Council executive quarterly to ensure that issues relating to the development of our elite athletes are implemented.

As this year marks the 50th anniversary of Ronnie Delaney's victory in Melbourne, Senator Ó Murchú rightly acknowledged the role he played and the role model he continues to be. It was a tremendous day for Ireland but it was a long time ago. Nonetheless, he is, and remains, the only Irishman to have won an Olympic gold medal in a track event.

It is certain that the training and support regimes in place for athletes have improved considerably over the years. We are committed to putting in place the very best sports facilities and supports for our sports people. Since this is the 50th anniversary of Ronnie Delaney's victory at Melbourne, we will ensure it is commemorated in a fitting manner. The first of December marks the actual anniversary.

I thank Deputy Collins for his positive comments on the Government's work in putting in place a network of facilities throughout the country. We started off in 1998 with a barren landscape but, thankfully, the situation has changed significantly in recent years. More needs to be done, however, and it will be.

Senator Daly referred to the structure of the institute. While it is proposed that the administration of the institute will be in Dublin, as recommended by the Irish Sports Council, there will be roles for the University of Limerick as well as third level institutions in Dublin and the North of Ireland. It will be a key challenge to ensure that all the existing providers will play a role in the work of the institute and that value for money is obtained.

Like Deputy Glennon, I am loath to advise the GAA what it should or should not do regarding the request by the Gaelic Players Association. I have met the GPA in the past and only last week I met officials in Croke Park. I outlined then that the question of grants for inter-county players is, in the first instance, a matter for the Gaelic Athletic Association, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, to discuss. If it is the case that the GAA comes to the Government with positive proposals on grants for elite players, the Government will certainly consider them.

I have stated that I would not advise the GAA, for example, whether it should or should not open Croke Park for the purposes of rugby or soccer home internationals. In as much as I would be slow and loath to do that, I would not like to indicate to the GAA at this point what direction it should take. While there is no question that professionalism in rugby has been beneficial, at provincial and national level, it must also be acknowledged that club rugby has not been assisted by professionalism. Unfortunately the interest in club matches, which existed previously, no longer appears to exist. That is no big news for the great game of rugby. We must recognise that professionalism is not all plain sailing.

That said, it is important to point out, as Deputy Deenihan rightly did, that the GPA has not said it wants pay for play but has sought a system of grants. Deputy Glennon made the point that if that is not conceded, there might be a difficulty in how the matter progresses from there. The last thing anyone wants is a conflict between Cumann Lúthchleas Gael and its elite players. That is the worst possible thing which could happen for Gaelic games. It is best that the GAA discusses the issue with the GPA.

In the meantime, I have made it clear to the Croke Park authorities and the president of the GAA, Mr. Brennan, that I would not enter into negotiations with the GPA because to do so would be to pre-empt any decision the GAA might make and that it would represent an unwarranted interference by me in its internal business. It should also be recalled that once a decision on grants is made by the GAA and if it is favourable, the structure of those grants, to whom they would be paid, to what games they would be confined, etc. would arise. However, they are issues for another day. The issue is one for the GAA to discuss. I will not enter into negotiations with any organisation on that issue until such time as the GAA comes to its own conclusions.

Could I ask a question?

No, I will not reopen the debate. The Minister was under pressure to leave at 5.30 p.m. and we have been given a certain amount of latitude. He has answered the questions on the Olympics.

We were supposed to talk about the Olympics but we went on to the GAA. Let us face it: rugby is not an Olympic sport. We spent most of the time talking about something which is not part of the Olympics. We were supposed to be discussing the Olympics in preparation for 2012.

I thank the Minister for a very important reaction to the committee's report. He has taken on board the key recommendation. Many aspects of the other recommendations fall into place on the basis that the first key recommendation has been accepted. The issue of teamwork and success over a number of years, because of a multi-year approach, is important. I thank the Minister for addressing the other issues raised during the meeting. I wish well the Special Olympics national games, which are due to take place in June in Belfast.

I not only thank the committee, the Minister and his officials but also the media which were present for the launch of the report. It is nice to see they are back for the results. I again thank the Minister for a very positive response to our report. It has ensured it will not be on a shelf gathering dust.

It has occurred to me that there was one other track gold medal winner but Ronnie Delaney is the only living one.

What about Bob Tisdall?

It would be terrible if my office were to be seen congratulating somebody who did not win and if I was to try to take something off somebody who did.

The joint committee adjourned at 5.55 p.m. sine die.

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