Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 27 Jun 1984

Vol. 104 No. 7

Financial Commitment to Sport: Motion (Resumed).

Debate resumed on the following motion:

That Seanad Éireann notes with satisfaction the Government's recent financial commitment to sport and calls on the Government to continue with this supportive policy.

—(Senator Deenihan.)

Mrs. Honan

I am happy to have the opportunity to speak on this motion. I will apply myself to one section particularly, the children and adult disabled and mentally handicapped. Sport activities as a means of increasing physical fitness and self-confidence are of particular importance for people with a disability. In the area of mental handicap, with which I am most familiar, an increasing emphasis in recent years on physical education and sports of all kinds has been of enormous benefit to both children and adults.

Competitive sports have brought about improvements in co-ordination and selfawareness and provide many opportunities for disabled people of all kinds to integrate with every other person taking part on the sports field or in any sport or in the swimming pool. I have seen the results of this at first hand and the great children who have taken part in competitions. I refer to some of the schools with which I have had association for 20 years in Clare. I am asking here for special consideration and the provision of grants to those special schools when grants are being allocated by the Minister. Athletics, gymnastics and swimming are major factors in the development of the special child, and because of the sense of achievement alone they seem to derive much benefit out of such activities.

I ask here this evening if, against the background of a particular school for the moderately mentally handicapped, two hours of the service of one physical education teacher to 40 children is sufficient. Maybe the Minister will reply to me later and tell me that £X have been allocated to those special children to help them to do better at sport, and to keep in line with the motion which I am delighted to see on the Clár of this House. Maybe this money is allocated by the Department, but if it is and if it is going to the larger units I would like to know what kind of money we are talking about. I know first-hand the way the smaller units dealing with these children and adults are being starved. We must invest money in sport for them because it gives them complementary confidence in other areas of education. They seem to get new confidence in themselves if they have achievements in the world of sport.

If we are talking about children participating in Olympics at world level it is not right to ask that all the money to send them to world Olympics should come from voluntary organisations. I chair a federation and I have collected over £200,000, if not nearly £300,000. That is a lot of money. I am asking that the Department give some allocation to the smaller schools for the handicapped. I wonder if we are aware in this House of the Special Olympics and the results for our competitors last year against international opposition. They brought home 25 medals. I am proud to say that these medals came back to the four provinces of this nation, not three. The training to send these children or adults was done by school staff, teachers, granted teachers sanctioned by the Department of Education, for which we are grateful, but we had to employ experts on a part-time basis. That money had to be found out of voluntary collections or from the parents of the people we were sending abroad. This is not right in 1984. I ask the Minister for equal grants for disabled people. I am sure, given the necessary support, including Government financial support, they will go on to do better. I have seen the results and the marvellous consideration that is given to these disabled and mentally handicapped people and the way in which they react and the very high level of achievement which they bring back to their families. It is money very well spent. I have seen the results first-hand. I want to put it on the record of the House. Nobody in this House has given the voluntary service to the mentally handicapped that I have given for a long number of years, and I will continue to do so.

I am grateful for the money which the Department and the Minister have allocated. I thank the Minister, Deputy Creed, especially for his help since he took office. He has a special awareness about the needs of those less advantaged. When allocating money to all sports — it is all right to be talking about all-Ireland footballers and hurlers and jumpers — he must not forget the less well off people in sport. They should be given equal grants vis-à-vis the others competing both at home and abroad. I am sure the two Senators opposite, both of whom are teachers, are also aware of the achievements in recent years because of commitments by past and present Governments to special children and adults.

Minister of State at the Department of Education (Mr. Creed)

I am very pleased to have the opportunity to address this House on the motion before us. I thank Senators Deenihan and O'Brien for having the interest of sport at heart in putting down this important motion. I am grateful to all the Senators who have contributed to the debate. It was very satisfying and interesting to listen to the contributions which were made, and I must say that it is apparent that each of the Senators who contributed did much preparation in obtaining the various facts and figures which were given in the course of the debate.

Another aspect of the debate which pleased me was the fact that there was no party flagwaving but rather were the contributions useful, informative and constructive. In the course of the debate there were some statements made which I believe were based on inadequate information, and I propose to deal with some of these misconceptions later in my address.

The Government policy in relation to sport is based on the principles of the European Sport for All Charter. The programme for the development of sport has as its objective the establishment of positive attitudes towards sport and physical recreation and the development of habits of regular and active participation in these areas through the provision of opportunities and facilities. The policy for sport, while placing its main emphasis on providing the best possible opportunities for the greatest number of people, sets out to stimulate participation at all levels of performance. In this context, elite sportsmen and the community at large are interdependent, and no attempt should be made to separate high level performance from competitive sport.

In Ireland, as elsewhere, there is a growing problem of alienation resulting in unrest, alcoholism, drug abuse, vandalism, violence, truancy and crime. Some of these problems can be related to increased leisure time and the lack of recreational opportunities for young people.

Sport and physical activity, as aspects of leisure time activity are not by themselves the only way to help to relieve the stress and tension of modern living, but certainly they are an essential part of any co-ordinated and integrated plan to help bring about an improved and healthier way of life. It is extremely important that the value of sport and physical activity is fully appreciated and that the beneficial outcomes of regular participation in sport for all sectors of our society are widely understood.

Within a community the level of participation in leisure and recreation provides an indicator to the strength of community spirit and therefore the confidence prevailing within a community. In areas of special need or disadvantaged areas this role of sport and recreation takes on a wider significance as it becomes a valuable mechanism in trying to meet the objective of reducing social disadvantage. While the varied nature of the problems in these areas calls for a comprehensive programme of action, properly co-ordinated, it is my firm belief that sport and recreation could make a very positive contribution within a wider framework to improve the quality of life in these areas.

The development of sport is implemented mainly through Cospóir, the National Sports Council, the national governing bodies of sport and the Olympic Council of Ireland.

For the information of the House, Cospóir is a body of 28 sports people who have been or are still deeply involved with sport, either as participants or as administrators. Each member of the sports council has been appointed in a personal capacity. However, there is a very wide representation of sporting interests on the council and the majority of the major sports are represented. Since its establishment Cospóir, through its many activities, has been endeavouring to increase participation in sport, and I am pleased that previous speakers have made reference to the massive upsurge in participation in sport and physical recreation which has taken place in the last number of years. I am certain that Cospóir's promotional campaigns and programmes have contributed in a very large way to the greater involvement of all our people in sports activities.

As examples of Cospóir's work in the area of heightening public awareness of the benefits of sport and of the opportunities for participation, I would mention such promotions as Community Sport for All Day, National Walk Day and National Bike Week.

Senators Deenihan and O'Leary spoke of the need to involve children in sport at an early age. This is a view which I also hold. Indeed, Cospóir also saw the need for a special initiative to involve primary school-children in sporting activities when, in 1983, the first Primary Schools Sport for All day was introduced. Such was the success of the Day that the Sport for All Day in the primary schools will now be an annual event. For the 1984 Sport for All Day in the primary school which was on 8 May, a wide range of promotional literature and a special booklet were sent to every primary school-teacher in the country. The special booklet contains hints and guidelines on the organisation of Sport for All activities and places these activities in perspective in relation to the total school physical education programme.

On 8 May I was delighted to have had the opportunity to witness at first hand the activities which were organised for the children. It was a very pleasant experience to see teachers and children enjoying themselves in sporting activities. I would like to pay tribute to the members of the Irish National Teachers Organisation and the boards of management for the enthusiasm, commitment and interest which they have shown by their involvement with this promotion. Without their assistance such a project could not succeed. Other Sport for All projects which have taken place or are planned in 1984 include:

A national conference in Westport in May last on "Outdoor recreation and leisure — future planning and development"; special promotions of badminton, bowling, orienteering, walking and mini-sports; a club development award scheme (in association with a sponsor); participation in the GAA Centenary Exhibition in the RDS; a GAA/Cospóir Club Day on 29 July; publication of a newsletter; courses for voluntary sports leaders; sailing courses for the less advantaged.

At local level, Cospóir's programmes are implemented through the 38 vocational education committees. These committees have established sports advisory bodies, under the aegis of Cospóir to co-ordinate and to implement Sport for All programmes within their own areas.

In addition to involvement in national campaigns, the sports advisory bodies maintain an ongoing programme of Sport for All activities at local level.

The relationship which has been established between Cospóir and the vocational education committees has been a very wise development and has been further consolidated by the setting up of the sports advisory bodies which are widely representative of local sports and other organisations on a very democratic basis.

Support for the programmes and activities of the sports advisory bodies is provided by way of annual grant-aid from my Department to the vocational education committees. I am very pleased that in 1984 I was in a position to allocate a sum of £770,000 to vocational education committees. I know from my own experience and from reports which I have received that the moneys which are allocated to vocational education committees for youth and sports programmes are having a very positive influence on sport at local level. In my own county I have attended a number of family activities days which are aimed at participation by the young and the old. These have proved to be a most successful undertaking.

The Sport for All policy, promoted by Cospóir is recognised as having created a favourable climate of public opinion in favour of sport and has contributed to an increased level of participation in sport. This, however, in turn has created problems for many sports organisations in that their structures have not been geared to cater for the demand for participation. The fact that most of the organisations are run on a voluntary basis, without any full-time administrative support, has limited the service which the national governing bodies of sport can provide.

I am very pleased indeed that in 1984 the Government have recognised the needs which are being created by increased participation in sport and that for the first time since the introduction of the grant-in-aid scheme to sporting organisations the allocation for sport has exceeded £1 million. Of this amount a sum in excess of £800,000 has been allocated in direct grant-aid to the national sports organisations.

This allocation represents an increase of 62 per cent over the 1983 grants and is evidence that the Government is committed to the development of sport. The grants to the national governing bodies of sport will assist towards the cost of coaching, administration, equipment, special projects to increase participation and improve standards and the hosting or travelling to international competitions.

One of the major beneficiaries from the grant-in-aid scheme has been the Olympic Council of Ireland, which received grants amounting to £240,000 from the sports allocation. The Olympic Council of Ireland is the "agent" of the International Olympic Committee in this country and is charged with the responsibility for the development of the Olympic movement here. It is also the task of the Olympic Council of Ireland to ensure the representation of Ireland's athletes at the Olympic Games, to organise and to supervise participation of their delegations, to provide equipment, transport, housing, insurance and medical attention.

Since 1924 the Olympic Council of Ireland has discharged its duty in relation to the development of the Olympic movement with dedication and efficiency, coupled with wisdom and integrity, in their approach to the many complex problems and undesirable developments which have occurred in sport over the years and which have tended to tarnish the high-minded ideals of the Olympic philosophy.

In the course of last week's debate I was disappointed and upset that a Member of this House should speak in such a hostile fashion in relation to the Olympic Council of Ireland. When one considers that the Olympic Council of Ireland has neither permanent headquarters nor permanent staff one must admit that their contribution to the development of sport in this country has been enormous.

For the information of the House, the Olympic Council of Ireland is an all-Ireland body which represents 22 affiliated sports recognised by international federations. The council executive is reelected every four years by the affiliated sports organisations. All officers of the council work in a voluntary capacity.

The Government are fully committed to the provision of funds to the Olympic Council of Ireland, and on behalf of the Government I would like to say that we are fully behind them in their efforts to promote the Olympic ideal.

The Government are particularly appreciative of the contribution made by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the fabric of Irish life, both in sporting and cultural events. To mark the celebration of the centenary year of the GAA a special grant of £100,000 was awarded in the budget in recognition of this contribution.

While on the subject, I would like, in response to Senator Lanigan's remarks about the level of funding of the GAA by the State, to point out that the special grant given in the budget was over and above the normal grant-aid given annually to the GAA by my Department. For example, in 1984 a grant of £44,500 was allocated under my Department's scheme of grants to national governing bodies of sport. My Department also pay £21,000 per annum in respect of the three development officers attached to the GAA, and many clubs benefit under the youth and sport grants allocated by the vocational education committees.

I would like to point out also that over the past five years GAA clubs throughout the country have received grants totalling £4 million under the Youth Employment Scheme, formerly the responsibility of my Department but now that of the Department of Labour. These grants have enabled rural clubs, in particular, to improve the amenities for their members and for the local community. I am giving the information not for the purpose of expounding the good deeds of the Government, but to provide information for anyone who may have been under a misapprehension in relation to the Government's commitment to Cumann Lúthchleas Gael.

A significant fact of sport in this country is the vast number of voluntary workers in clubs, sports associations and community groups who give of their time and talents in the cause of sport. No efforts by the Government to promote the concept and ideals of sport for all could achieve fruition without the interest and dedication of the voluntary workers, and to them I extend my congratulations and gratitude for their sustained efforts to maintain and improve the quality of life within our society.

Further evidence, if it be needed, of the importance which the Government attaches to the role of sport in society is reflected in other schemes run by my Department:

(a) To assist with the hosting of/attendance at international competition;

(b) The provision of financial assistance to enable sports organisations to develop sports exchanges with their counterpart organisations in France;

(c) The sports scholarship scheme under which young sports persons can pursue their career in sport while studying for the academic qualification of their choice. Seventeen young sports persons are at present in receipt of sports scholarships, and an advertisement was recently placed in the national press for the holding of competitions for five further scholarships this year.

(d) A Long Distance Walking Routes Committee was established to identify and lay out on a countrywide basis paths and tracks which will be suitable for both the short and long distance walkers. A major undertaking by this committee was the completion of the Wicklow Way which has now been extended as far as Aughavannagh, a total of 166 km. Plans are ongoing for the provision of other walking routes and it is hoped, through this initiative, to encourage greater numbers of people to participate in walking as a leisure pursuit.

(e) The payment of grants towards the employment of development officers by nine sporting organisations.

In this context I should mention in response to Senator Fallon's contribution that in addition to the £7,000 which the Government pays towards the development officer assigned to the National Community Games, the Government also pays a grant in respect of the salary of the general secretary of this organisation. Indeed the total grant-in-aid to the National Community Games in 1984 will amount to £58,300. Some of the major sporting organisations have had considerable success in obtaining sponsorship from the private sector, and here I wish to pay tribute to the Irish Basketball Association which has recently been successful in the franchising of some of its senior clubs, which will mean an investment of over £1 million in the next five years. The enthusiasm and commitment of the Irish Basketball Association should serve as an example to many other organisations.

The grant-in-aid scheme to national governing bodies of sport extends to 65 such bodies. Many of those represent minor sports, and if Senator Lanigan could let me have the names of other minor national governing bodies of sport which he feels should be funded by my Department I will certainly be very happy to have the matter considered.

Some of the speakers outlined their views on the desirability of having a coaching policy. Coaching plays an important and influential role in the development of athletes. The responsibility for coaching in individual sports rests solely with the national governing bodies of sport and their autonomy in this regard must be respected. However, it is a fact that many sports organisations have poor coaching structures and do not have the capacity to develop proper structures. There is, therefore, a need to analyse existing coaching structures, to examine means of raising the general standard of coaching and to establish a panel of top-class coaches. A national coaching programme which will offer to coaches of all sports and at all levels of participation opportunities to improve their coaching skills is required. The area of coaching is one to which I will be devoting special attention as funds become available for new developments.

Experience as a Minister with responsibility for sport has brought me to the conclusion that a more comprehensive form of funding for sport is required. In this context I have for some time now been pursuing the question of the establishment of a national sports lottery. Many previous Ministers with responsibility for sport spoke about the need and the desirability of having such a lottery. However, I am pleased to be able to advise the House that I have now succeeded in having the lottery proposal brought to Government and I am optimistic that a favourable outcome will be forthcoming.

As I refer to the desirability of having a sports lottery I want to state that in the event of the lottery becoming a reality a priority will be the building of a national sports centre which would provide top-class facilities for our sports. It would be my intention to have included in the centre, and I am sure that Senator Fallon will be pleased about this, a 50-metre swimming pool.

I also want to say in relation to the sports lottery that I am quite confident, with my experience of 18 months as Minister for Sport that I have no doubts about the success of such a lottery. As far as the governing bodies of sport are concerned it is necessary to have a more regular funding mechanism available to them. When I came into office in November, 1982 because of the economic situation at that time in the Book of Estimates which was prepared there was a reduction of 11½ per cent. It was not a very pleasant start for a Minister in dealing with the national sports organisations and dealing with Cospóir, the National Sports Council. I made a commitment at that stage that I would do everything in my power to make sure that sporting organisations who do so much on a voluntary basis, that people who give of their time and people who subscribe to the provision of facilities for our young people, would not be let down.

Before the year was out I was pleased that I was in a position to introduce a supplementary grant for those sporting organisations which brought the grant to the level of 1982, I am not saying this in any boastful fashion. The introduction and success of a national sports lottery would provide a regular funding mechanism which would enable those organisations to plan well into the future. That, I hope, will happen. I sincerely hope that the lottery if and when introduced will be a success.

The Government is constantly aware of its responsibility to the youth of Ireland and recognises that there is an urgent need to cater in the widest sense for recreational outlets to that leisure activities for all would be channelled into wholesome and positive outlets. The Government will continue to pursue vigorously this objective with a wide range of innovative measures to heighten public awareness of the value of sport and promote opportunities for the involvement of all people in worthwhile recreational pursuits.

In this address I have concentrated in the main on the funding which is made available by those areas of my own Department for which I have direct responsibility. Other funding which is important in the overall context of my Department's support for sport include the payment of salaries of physical education teachers, grants to Thomond College of Education through the Higher Education Authority, grants in respect of physical education equipment in schools, in-service courses for teachers, etc.

I would like to mention at this stage that, in the context of funding from the Department the Department, the Minister of the day and Cospóir should be seen to be there in a helpful and advisory supportive capacity. If tomorrow morning sufficient funds were available and if you could grant-aid and meet all the financial demands of the sporting organisations, sport would die a natural death. It is necessary to have grant aid that would match the voluntary effort by the community and sporting organisations and match equally the very generous sponsorship which is available for sport in this country.

A major input to the development of sport and recreation amenities is also made by other Government Departments and State agencies.

Examples are the provision of amenity grants and swimming pool grants by the Department of the Environment, capital and youth employment scheme, grants for recreational facilities from the Department of Labour, amenity development of forests by the Department of Forestry and Wildlife, public parks maintenance, etc. by the Office of Public Works, support for the Army School of Equitation and the sail-training scheme by the Department of Defence; the development of water sports, equestrian sports, etc. by Bórd Fáilte; health education promotions which emphasise the importance of sport and regular exercise by the Health Education Bureau.

While the investment which has been made in sport by the Government in 1984 is to be welcomed, much remains to be done. However, I feel that the allocation of £1.196 million directly to sport was a major step forward by the Government, having regard to the fact that in 1983 the provision for sport was £719,000.

I would like to remind the House that State-aid to sport is not intended to supplant but rather to be supportive and to supplement the finance already being generated in sport. However, it is recognised that there is a need for more development in sport in terms of facilities, coaching and financing, and it is the Government's intention to continue to provide as high a level of State funding for sport as is possible in the current economic situation.

I also want to mention the position in relation to facilities in which we are falling far behind. I am not blaming anyone in particular: we have not the facilities which are necessary to provide the incentive and necessary outlets for our young people. We must realise the importance of sport. We must also recognise and appreciate that it is necessary from the point of view of the State to finance sport. It is necessary to encourage it to lead towards a healthier community and to provide the unemployed with outlets for their energies. It costs so much at present to provide them with care in an institution. I believe a lot of violence, the level of drug abuse, the vandalism which we have, is created and caused by young people with nothing to do and nowhere to go. It is essential for all of us to recognise these facts, and that is why I am so pleased to attend this debate. It is in no sense a cause of flagwaving; we must realise and appreciate the strong economic argument that can be put up in favour of greater resources being made available to those people.

I have mentioned what I intend to do if resources are sufficient and if the lottery is a success, which I have no doubt it will. I would like to see greater co-operation between the governing bodies in sport so that we could make the best use of scarce resources. A situation has developed in this country where you have organisations who are doing their own thing in the provision of facilities. If we had the co-operation and co-ordination of all the people concerned we could make a better use of our scarce resources and we could provide facilities for our young people.

Only as recently as this morning I had discussions with people in Cospóir about ways and means by which we could bring that about. I hope that I will improve the position in my term of office. I accept what the Cathaoirleach says in relation to the handicapped and disabled. We have provided grants for these people. In the budget this year we provided a sum of money which would help those people, the area which I mentioned in relation to coaching and to the people who do the background work. We recognise achievement in the field of sport and we make awards: it is only right that we should. We would not have any awards or achievement in the field of sport were it not for coaches and people who do the background work. I am also considering ways and means by which we could provide some kind of recognition or awards for those people.

I am convinced from my term in office that from economic, social and political viewpoints — this is something that we never bear in mind — most of our national sporting organisations are 32-county based. I was very pleased to receive the people involved in the Special Olympics recently and to find out that between Derry and Belfast and Galway and Kerry, their organisations and their officers have a spread throughout the entire 32 counties. The amount of goodwill which can be generated by those organisations is very difficult to assess. I can assure you it is an important aspect of sport which should be encouraged. To all those who contributed I again want to express my gratitude.

Mr. Kiely

I would like to speak on the motion and to thank Senator Deenihan for putting down this motion. I would not entirely praise the Government for what they are doing because I do not think it is entirely adequate, but I call on the Government to continue to support this policy and to improve on it, and would also point out to the Minister some matters of policy of the Government which are definitely harming some of our games. Sport is important. Encouraging sport in our schools is nearly as important as educating our youth. In the times in which we are living, with increased crime and so on, it is most important that our youth be introduced to sport at an early age, so that they would develop an interest in a sport of their choice and continue to play it so that they would not get involved in vandalism or crime.

I am really interested in and have been involved all my life — more as an administrator than as a player — in the GAA. The mover of this motion, Senator Deenihan, had great success on the playing field and I am sure he is also interested in the administration of the games. My first love is hurling.

The Minister says:

The Government particularly appreciated the contribution made by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the fabric of Irish life both in sporting and cultural events.

He says:

To mark the celebration of the centenary year of the GAA a special grant of £100,000 was awarded in the budget in recognition of this contribution.

The GAA appreciates such recognition and it also appreciates the other grants it is getting through the auspices of Cospóir.

I would like to raise — and I am delighted that Senator Deenihan mentioned it when he was moving the motion — the matter of the VAT on hurleys and rates on GAA fields. The VAT on hurleys is crippling the promotion of hurling and I am disappointed that the Minister did not make some reference to it in his speech. Hurleys are subject to VAT at the rate of 35 per cent. It costs an average hurling club about £1,200 for hurleys and there are about 50 hurling clubs on average, in each county. There might be 100 in Cork but when you compare that with counties in the North where there might be fewer I would say it would be an average of 50 hurling clubs in each county. It would cost each of these clubs £1,200 for hurleys and possibly £300 for sliothars or balls. This would amount to £1,500 to promote hurling, which would be very costly. This expenditure is subject to 35 per cent VAT. If you had 50 clubs in a county paying out £1,500 towards hurleys and balls, that would amount to £75,000 for each county, which would be a total of £l,950,000 for the 26 counties. This is a very vast sum indeed, and that it what it would cost the clubs, not taking into account the individuals or the county boards' other costs. Thirty five per cent of £l,950,000 is £662,500, so the GAA while they are promoting hurling are subsidising the Government to the tune of £662,500. This is staggering and it is something that must be recognised. I do not want to complete removal of VAT from hurleys but I think it could be reduced very much. The rate of VAT for arts and theatres has been reduced to 5 per cent, and there is no greater art than the game of hurling. Hurling is our national game. It has been played in Ireland for a long time and it is a game we cannot allow to die. It is for that reason that I am pointing out the enormous amount of money it takes to keep hurling going. This is all done voluntarily, and I hope the Minister might have some discussions with the Minister for Finance. I tried to raise the matter in last years' Finance Bill at Second Stage but the Minister seemed to ignore it. I tried to raise it later on the Adjournment but I was ruled out of order. I am delighted — and I thank Senator Deenihan for tabling the motion — to have this opportunity to pinpoint it here.

I will turn now to the rates on GAA fields. A lot of these fields were developed and purchased by GAA clubs for the benefit of the community as a whole and not only for members of the GAA. I appreciate — as the Minister has pointed out — that they get help through the youth employment schemes, which is very much appreciated. But it is very unfair to put a demand for rates on these pitches. I am not referring to the community centres or the complexes which can earn money and which should be subject to rates, as would be the case with the big stadia. There are several of the local stadia in every country — I am sure Senator Deenihan's own pitch is subject to a rate demand — and it is very hard for voluntary clubs which have no means of income, except a tournament or something like that, to meet these demands for rates. This is another area that the Government should examine and try to alleviate the hardships involved. It would be much better if you could derate these pitches and reduce the VAT — if it cannot be abolished completely — to at least 5 per cent. Then you would be doing as much of a service as if you were financially aiding these boards.

These fields are also subject to public liability insurance. They have to pay a premium for public pitches, also increasing the cost along with the rates. So they have an extraordinarily difficult task to keep solvent and to promote and to develop their pitches to ensure that they will be there for the benefit of all, both young and old.

Senator O'Leary in his contribution as contained in the Official Report last week, Volume 104, column 488 said:

The employment by the schools, with the encouragement of the Government, of outside helpers to make up for this potential deficiency is very important if the team games of which we are so proud are to survive and prosper.

This is absolutely vital. In this regard I know that the Minister will speak — when he speaks in this debate — of developments that have taken place in this regard. My son at present, as part of his school curriculum, is being tutored in hurling and in Gaelic football. This is being done by young people who previous to being employed in this area were unemployed. It is done under the supervision of their teachers and it is tremendously successful.

That is something I very much welcome, and I know that the Cork City juvenile board got a substantial grant through the Youth Employment Agency in order to get unemployed people for coaching in hurling and football.

On the school curriculum there is an hour or half-an-hour per week — I am subject to correction — allocated to physical education. I do not think it includes Gaelic football or hurling. This is something that applies to the Minister's Department. It is important to get young people interested in sport and educate them so as to improve the quality of their lives and the quality of Irish life. An hour or a half-hour devoted to physical education in cities where they have the facilities is all very well but in country places where they have a love for Gaelic games they have no facilities only to go out to a field and play these games. A half an hour a week at least should be devoted in the school curriculum to this purpose whether it be Gaelic games or some other game. The pupils would benefit. The various GAA bodies such as the Munster Council are considering the employment of a full-time coach. He should have access to the schools during school hours. Half-an-hour should be allocated for this purpose and it would benefit the children.

I should like to compliment the Community Games Council. The Minister said he gave a grant of £58,300 to the council. This I suppose is good in view of financial constraints but if at all possible I would like to see this sum increased. The National Community Games Council are doing great work in encouraging all types of games among the youth, getting them involved and ensuring that they will continue to play when they grow older. Hurling is becoming almost impossible for youth to play because of the price of hurleys and the cost to the people who are promoting the game. The 35 per cent VAT is a major factor in this. The Central Council subsidise juvenile hurleys but the cost of subsidising juvenile hurleys was much more in 1982 than in 1983 which proves that fewer hurleys were bought by youth because of the high price. I would appeal to the Minister to see if he could do something about the price of hurleys, which is a very serious matter in this context.

Mr. Browne

I would like, first of all, to congratulate the Leas-Chathaoirleach on the tremendous work she is doing for the mentally handicapped. Long before I came to the Seanad I was well aware of what the Leas-Chathaoirleach was doing, and I am glad to have the opportunity to wish her every success in the future in what she is doing. The Leas-Chathaoirleach complimented the Minister on his attitude, and I know from a delegation I accompanied to him here concerning a school for mentally handicapped in Carlow that his heart is in the right place, and I hope that later on his work will be a help to those who need special help. We should do everything we can for disadvantaged people. Swimming pools are a tremendous advantage to such people and we have not got enough pools. It is difficult to provide them all over the countryside but we should do everything we can to have that facility and help those who really need it.

I would like to say a few things in general about the role of sport, as I see it, having spent every evening for 25 years out with juveniles engaged in GAA or athletics. I see a tremendous value in sport for young people where they learn to take part. They learn to grow up and be manly and to take their beating. It is very important that those in charge of games set a standard for them, give them every motivation going on to the field and right through the game. Even when losing your "cool" you encourage them to still play to the rules and when the game is over you get them to understand that it is finished and that there are no excuses or cribbing or objections. From that point of view sport is tremendous for young people, and we should put a lot more emphasis on the Olympic ideal of taking part in sport. We should never lose sight of that.

I have tremendous admiration for what the Community Games are doing. In Carlow, the community games is a tremendous event because it is the nearest thing to mini-Olympic games one could find with flags waving and the presentation of medals. It is superb. When I mention about taking part in sport, for the sake of taking part, I cannot help having one slight worry, and that is that the competitive element at a very young age at community games level is something that I would question. There is a certain age when children are able to compete and there is a certain age when they are not able to compete and you cannot explain this to them. It is pathetic to see young lads with crying mothers and fathers perhaps who should have more sense, being rather silly afterwards. Parents have to play a very important role in laying down standards for children and making sure that if they run at a very young age that it is a very important affair from a fun point of view and not from the point of view of winning.

Sport for young people has a tremendous advantage in that very often in class children are being taught who may not be stars from an academic point of view. If they have to sit all day listening to a teacher who is boring them they can get some consolation from the fact that during break-time, when they are out taking part with the rest of the children, they are the heroes and perhaps later on in the evening everybody is cheering for them at a match. That does a world of good. Sport can fill up a very important void in their lives and make them realise that their life is very important. They may not be the honours group in the class: nowadays, that may not be important but it is important that everybody takes a place in society. I have found very often that the stars in the football field were not the stars in the classroom — sometimes they were. It is marvellous to see them in a role where you can boost their ego for them because they need that boost also.

I want to pay tribute to the many volunteers down the years who have worked so ably and so freely. My own experience is with the GAA all my life. I have very limited experience with anything else. People have given their time, their money, their cars and family life in order to promote the games that have done so much to give us a national outlook. Because of that work we are now celebrating the centenary of the GAA. We could not pay a high enough tribute to people who work in a voluntary capacity. Grants are very important, and I applaud the Government for giving as much as they can, but I would hate to see the situation where everybody would be paid for doing everything where sport is concerned, because they would finish up with a nine-to-five job and sport would not be played in the evening because everybody had to go home. We could not pay high enough tribute to the volunteers who have done so much. For that reason I endorse what Senator Kiely and others have said about the VAT on hurleys and rates. If we cannot compensate the people who work so hard for these organisations by giving them money then we can help them by at least not taking it from them. We will get it off them when they put petrol in their cars or have to replace cars because they have carried half a team in the back seat going around from place to place.

I have no qualms about saying that hurling deserves special treatment. People have asked why hurling should get special treatment. It is our national game; it is the oldest game we have and I do not think we should make an apology to anybody for treating it in a special way. I am fascinated by the idea that Cork gets a special grant to promote hurling. God knows, we have had enough of Cork; we have seen Clare get the "colly-wobbles" facing them in Thurles on several occasions. The idea to promote hurling in some of the weaker counties is probably good and the weaker counties would benefit.

Schools have been mentioned. I am glad we are building more than schools. We were great for building schools before this but the parish priests only managed to get a site a little bit bigger than a matchbox all around the school and there was no playing area. We must get away from that stage immediately. New schools should be guaranteed a playing pitch. The day is long past when you can have anything except tarmacadam in the school-yard. I am glad to see that the Department are taking a very broad view on this because this means pupils can play basketball tennis and so on. This is marvellous, even if it were only for cleanliness around the school. There should be a playing area close to all national schools. It is good for children to get out but there is no point talking about providing special time on the curriculum for games and so on if children have to go into a small concrete yard to kick a ball against a toilet wall or some such place. It serves no purpose. I ask the Minister to ensure that all schools in future will have adequate playing space.

The idea of sports for all days in schools is a very good one. It gets across the whole concept of sport. If someone does not want to participate in a particular event, it is marvellous to say that there is no prize at the end of the day and that it does not matter a tuppenny curse whether you are first or last. Taking part is what really counts. The sports for all days in schools have served that purpose. I was at our GAA pitch and it was marvellous to see all kinds of activity going on. Everybody seemed to be doing something. It took away the competitive element and made people feel they were perfectly entitled to have their freedom and to get enjoyment out of it.

There are other things that one could say about different sports which I am not involved in. We will all be very proud of the green singlets being worn in Los Angeles; we will be twice as proud if our representatives are standing on the podium to receive gold medals. One way or the other, the fact that they are there will be a source of pride. Whether we win, lose or draw, we will be delighted to see them there. The standards they set will inspire young people. I am glad the Government have done something to help them by providing money. I will conclude by wishing all our athletes who go to Los Angeles the very best of luck. We will be proud of them, wherever they finish.

Mr. Mullooly

I welcome the opportunity to make a brief contribution on this motion. There is a duty on all of us to do everything possible to help people, especially young people, to recognise the importance of healthy recreation in their lives. There is no more healthy recreation, in every other sense as well as in the physical fitness sense, than sport. For this reason I believe the Government have a clear duty to promote and support all sporting activities and the various bodies involved in the organisation of such activities. I do not believe that any Government yet have given a sufficiently high priority to the promotion of sport and sporting activities. The encouragement and promotion of sport and the development of sporting skills should be an important part — probably the most important part — of the physical education programme at both primary and second level schools. The creation of an increased awareness of the value of sport should also be one of the main aims of any worth while health education programme.

There is a growing recognition of the fact that physical exercise is absolutely essential to the present generation if they are to stay healthy because present-day living is the enemy of the human body. The majority of people today spend much of every working day either sitting behind a desk or behind the wheel of a car and a large part of every night crouched in front of a television set. At best, if we are lucky, such a lifestyle will only cause our bodies to become fat, flabby and stiff, but for the not so lucky the result can be heart disease, high blood pressure or, indeed, any one of a variety of other problems. On the other hand, not alone do people who take physical exercise have a better chance of avoiding such problems but it is a recognised fact that such people tend to have a happier and more confident outlook on life as a whole.

Tributes have been paid to Cospóir, the National Sports Council, for the work they have done in propagating the concept of sport for all but a lot more needs to be done. Activities such as walking, swimming, cycling, jogging and running should be continually promoted through the media. Cospóir should be provided with sufficient funds to sustain an all-the-year-round advertising campaign to convince people of the benefits of physical exercise.

I believe the cost would be more than offset by the saving that would result in the provision of health care services. People also need to be convinced that exercise does not have to mean that one has to suffer pain, exhaustion or even embarrassment. Healthy exercise should be fun. It should not exhaust the body. The emphasis should be on moderation in relation to exercise, as in most other things.

I would also like to join with the Minister and other Senators in complimenting Cospóir on having inaugurated the sport for all day in primary schools. The aim of sports-for-all day in primary schools is to encourage every primary school child to become involved in some form of sport or physical recreation, and to increase the children's awareness of the value of sport. I am fully in agreement that the place to start promoting the sport for all concept is in the primary schools. I am convinced that if children's interests in physical recreation can be aroused when they are in school, especially in primary school, this will continue as they grow older.

As far as the younger age group are concerned, I believe that the community games movement has done, and is doing, a wonderful job. Community games introduce young boys and girls to the sport of their choice at a very early age. The movement encourages the pursuit of healthy interests and enables young people to discover their talents and abilities and to test them in a variety of ways. Since the community games competitions are organised annually by parish or area committees, all sections of the community have an opportunity to become involved. Everybody involved in the community games movement at local, county and national level deserves to be congratulated. I believe the community games movement should get more Government aid. The only caveat I would enter as far as community games are concerned is that it should be continually stressed to the young people involved that to compete is more important than to win, and that the enjoyment of taking part should be the motivation for competing rather than the desire to win.

Reference has been made by previous speakers to the GAA and to the great work they have done in the 100 years since their foundation for the preservation and promotion of our national games. I want to endorse everything that has been said in this regard and to be associated with the tributes that have been paid to the GAA.

It is universally acknowledged that present day youth have to contend with problems which were totally unknown to previous generations. We are living in a society which has more leisure time at its disposal than any earlier generation. Every year the GAA face stiffer competition from a variety of counter attractions, some of which could be described as insidious. Therefore it is more important than ever that we should assist our youth to organise and to provide their own recreation and to make proper facilities available to them to ensure that their recreation takes place in a healthy and wholesome atmosphere. Those engaged in the promotion of our games should not rest satisfied with the mere organisation of games and competitions. Today, more than ever before, character formation and the mental and moral aspects of youth training require a greater emphasis than at any time in the past. I should like to support the call made to the Minister for the removal, or at least the reduction, of value added tax on hurleys and sliothars, and also the appeal that has been made to him in relation to rates on GAA pitches. Senator Deenihan expressed the fear that because of the fact that nowadays the majority of teachers in primary schools are——

An Cathaoirleach

I might point out that Senator Deenihan is due in the House at 7.45 p.m.

Mr. Mullooly

——females, there might not be the same emphasis on coaching and the encouragement of our national games in the primary schools. In my part of the country lady teachers are doing a tremendous job as far as encouraging and coaching the children in their schools are concerned. The inter-school competitions and tournaments that take place every year are stronger and better than ever.

I should like to join with other speakers who referred to the forthcoming Olympic Games, to the work being done by the National Olympic Council and to extend every good wish to the people who will be representing this country at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. I should also like to express regret that because politics has become mixed up with sport, certain countries will not be competing in Los Angeles.

When we talk of sport we mean physical games of every description, both team and individual games for all — the young, the old and the handicapped. The concept of sport at every level should have popular Government support and encouragement. The philosophy of sport for all must be given a greater emphasis, and every encouragement possible should be given to those who promote this ideal.

Mr. Fitzsimons

I want to express my gratitude to Senator Deenihan. I agree with this motion in so far as there is financial commitment or help towards sport but it is not enough. Even if there was twice as much financial help it would still not be enough. I hope Senator Deenihan will agree with me on this, and I feel sure he will.

Coming as I do from an area which housed the Tailteann Games — which were famous in their time and held in the small townland of Tailteann between Kells and Navan — I am interested in this motion. Coming from Kells, the home of great handballers over the years, I must say that the handball club is doing a very fine job and marvellous work for the young people, but it could do far more if extra money was available.

Senator O'Brien has referred to the old proverb mens sana in corpore sano— a sound mind in a sound body. This is something with which I am sure we would all have to agree. Like Senator Browne, I would be worried about the competitive element in sport because there can only be one winner. While I have the greatest admiration for winners and for great sportsmen like Senator Deenihan, I have greater admiration for the people who never make it — the people who try when there is no great trophy or acclaim for them. These are the people who make sport, and without them we would have no Senator Deenihans. In competitive sports there is not enough time given to those who do not get into the top grade. Teachers and those in charge want to be involved with those who are going to get medals and to bring honour to the clubs. My heart is with those who know they will never make it. This is one of the things we learn in life. As we grow up we may feel we are the best, but then we find we are not the best, and sometimes we find we are at the very end of the queue.

I welcome Minister of State, Deputy Creed's, enthusiasm and commitment to sport. I should like, with all the other Senators, to pay tribute to all those people who played their part in sport over the years for no financial reward, particularly the voluntary workers. I should also like to pay tribute to the GAA with which I was involved all my life as a player and at club level. In my view, it was a mistake that the GAA ever acquired licences to sell intoxicating drink. While my views on drink are very well known — by and large I have liberal views — nevertheless drink seems to have an importance in every walk of life. I know of one secondary school — not in my home town — where more than 25 per cent of the girls became pregnant due to the fact that they were attending a disco where intoxicating drink was sold. It is a sad reflection on us in every sphere, particularly in sport, if we must have drink to enjoy ourselves. I should like to pay tribute to the Health Education Bureau and I hope that their courses on drugs and drink will be followed by all the secondary schools. I should like to see extra money being made available for physical education because sport and games might help to solve the problems of unemployment, drugs and crime. For that reason, I would hope that more money would be made available.

Finally, like other Senators, I would have to say that special help should be given to the disabled and the handicapped. I welcome the Minister's commitment and his enthusiasm and I hope he will look into all those areas.

Mr. Deenihan

I take this opportunity to thank Senators who contributed to this debate. I am very pleased with the overall response from both sides of the House and their very worthwhile contributions. I am sure we all share a common goal and their very worth while contributions. ideal of "sport for all". I think this was very well demonstrated in this House during the debate.

As regards Senator Lanigan's expression of dismay at my audacity to put this motion before the House, I feel I would be failing as a sportsman and as somebody involved in the promotion of sports if I did not highlight the extraordinarily high percentage increase which this Government in their wisdom have made towards the funding of sport for 1984. On this point, I would like to exhort the Government to continue along these lines.

I would like to refer briefly to what various speakers have said on this subject. I would like to begin with the contribution of the Minister of State, Deputy Creed. Deputy Creed has made a very valuable contribution towards the promotion of sport since his election to the office of Minister of State as, indeed, had previous Ministers of State. It is a very important position to hold in Government and we are very fortunate to have a person of the calibre of Deputy Creed, holding the office at the moment. I welcome his novel idea of promoting a sports lottery. This would be very important for the funding of sport.

He also mentioned the proposal to set up a national sports stadium which would include a 50 metre swimming pool which Senator Fallon pointed out was a great necessity. As I mentioned last Wednesday, I feel that a national sports assembly should be set up in this country. Although he made no reference to this in his reply, I hope the Minister will bear it in mind in the future. This whole idea of a sports stadium could be considered together with the suggestion of setting up a sports assembly and a sports house and the eventual setting up of a national sports library and information resource centre. If this concept was developed it could result in the promotion and the further development of sport in Ireland. I will be taking up the matter again with the Minister.

Apart from the idea of a sports stadium, sports assembly and a national sports house, I would also like to welcome the Minister's recommendations in coaching and administration. I referred to this already last Wednesday. I pointed out that we are deficient in this respect especially when we compare our administrative standards to EEC countries and those of the United Kingdom and the USA. There is now an awareness developing not alone in Deputy Creed's Department but within the various organisations as well. Coaching is now considered a priority rather than the unstructured and unco-ordinated playing of games.

I would like to make reference as well to the development of our outdoor facilities which should be a priority. I welcome the recommendations made by the Cospóir conference in Westport recently, that we should exploit our great reservoir of natural outdoor advantages in the future. This would have a tourist aspect and be an employment creator as well. The Minister, Deputy Creed, as well as other Senators, mentioned the importance of sport for young people. We are all very much aware of this.

I would like to refer briefly to what each of the speakers said. Senator Fallon mentioned the contribution that sport can make in preventing crime. I agree with Senator Fallon to some extent. However, unless teams are properly disciplined and administered it need not necessarily have this effect and much depends on the ability of the coaches to inculcate proper values in these young people. From my own experience I have seen young sports people who were not automatically gentlemen and who do not necessarily resist the temptation to commit crime. Senator Fallon also made reference to VAT on sports equipment. This should be considered, especially VAT on hurleys, and no doubt a case could be made for a lower rate of VAT on sports equipment. It would make a further contribution towards the promotion of sport in the country.

I would like to congratulate Senator Honan on the great work she has done on behalf of the handicapped. This is an area where I worked for a period of time and I fully appreciate her demand for more funding for the handicapped. For a long time they were the forgotten people of Ireland. I welcome the awareness that has developed in the country mainly through the efforts of people like Senator Honan. I request the Minister to consider increasing the funding of sport for the handicapped, especially the provision of teachers of physical education for the handicapped.

Senator Kiely mentioned rates on GAA grounds. I agree with him in that a serious look should be taken at the level of rating of GAA pitches. I will be pursuing this matter still further with the Minister.

Senator Mullooly expressed his desire to see a further development of PE in the primary and secondary schools with emphasis on teaching skills. I agree with these sentiments. I have advocated a similar policy on previous occasions. I am glad that he mentioned that the female teachers in County Roscommon are doing a very good job and I am glad that they were not around in 1980 when Kerry beat Roscommon in the All-Ireland Final. We will be expecting a lot from Roscommon now that the females have assumed their responsibility.

Mr. Mullooly

The Senator will not be disappointed.

Mr. Deenihan

Senator Fitzsimons said sport should be for all. It should cross the social class divides, the sexes and various somato types. I agree with him wholeheartedly.

I would like to welcome Senator O'Leary's contribution, especially the point he made on the employment of unemployed PE teachers or experts to teach part-time in schools. I made the point last Wednesday that these people could be employed in both the secondary and primary sectors.

Senator O'Brien made a point about the contribution of sport towards the constructive use of leisure time and pointed to the unemployment levels, the shorter working week trend and early retirement age. He pointed out that as a result there will be more people seeking better recreation facilities and they must be provided for. I agree with Senator Browne that the competitive aspect has been emphasised too much in community games. I had the experience last week of seeing children crying on the side of the track during the Kerry finals in Tralee. This must be avoided because it is not what was intended when the community games were set up. The emphasis must be on competing for enjoyment rather than on winning. There is too much emphasis on providing trophies for winners rather than some other form of recognition. In conclusion I enjoyed very much bringing forward this motion. I am glad that Senators from all sides of the House took an active interest in it and contributed very objectively to the motion.

Question put and agreed to.