Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 9 May 2012
7Deputy Seamus Kirk asked the Minister for Transport; Tourism and Sport if a new sports strategy is being prepared; if this may result in changes to the remit of the Irish Sports Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23068/12]
View answerThe question concerns the remit of the Irish Sports Council. In November 2011, the Government announced its programme of public service reform. A key deliverable of the reform programme will be the radical streamlining of State bodies. This measure will deliver enhanced service efficiencies and will offer significant long-term savings in the operation of State bodies through the sharing of back-office administrative functions and other services.
In regard to the sports bodies, the plan provides that legislation is to be published in 2012 to enable the merger of the National Sports Campus Development Authority and the Irish Sports Council in 2013. The merging of these two bodies will deliver a more streamlined sports structure at national level.
My Department is currently examining the issues involved in merging the two bodies and any changes to the remit of the bodies will be reflected in the legislation. My officials are consulting with the Irish Sports Council and the National Sports Campus Development Authority on issues that arise during this process.
I welcome the Minister's statement on the amalgamation of, or reduction in quangos, about which he talked a great deal before the election. As Minister, however, he has a responsibility to set forward a strategy for the continuing development of sport in this country. Although I am aware the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport is currently in the process of assigning moneys set aside to develop a sports infrastructure in the various constituencies around the country, it is important that this is done with a strategic focus. To that extent, I am aware there had been discussions during the tenure of the previous Government about working with local authorities to ensure there was no duplication of effort across different counties and that, where possible, there was the capacity by different codes to share facilities and resources. I recognise the limited resources available and am aware of the pressure on the Government in that regard. Any money spent, therefore, must be spent with a strategic eye.
I would welcome if the Minister were to outline for us whether the Government is prepared to leave this to the various sporting organisations, providing them with money on an ad hoc basis when it is available or whether it will form part of an overall strategic approach that would see not only the development of the infrastructure, but the development of skills. That would mean the sporting organisations were collectively responsible for ensuring that Ireland developed its sporting potential to the highest standard possible.
I should say that the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, sends his apologies. He is on his way to Brussels for a meeting of European sports Ministers.
In fairness to the Government, we do not merely talk about reducing the number of State agencies, we have actually done it. Coaching Ireland has been merged into the Sports Council, Dublin Tourism into Fáilte Ireland, and, as the Deputy knows, today there will be a reconfiguration of Shannon Development.
The point Deputy Dooley makes is absolutely correct. Too often in the past grants were given to sports clubs and local authorities on an ad hoc basis. Often two clubs with very good facilities may be close to one another while down the road in another locality there are no facilities. In part, this was historic because in the past clubs were not prepared to share facilities or open up their grounds to other codes. In newly developed areas that is less of a problem because, by and large, when new schools are built they incorporate a community centre with sports facilities alongside which are open to the entire community. It is hard to retrofit that into more established areas but we are doing two things to drive it. The first is the national sports facility strategy which is currently under consideration by the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, and me and is due to be published in the coming weeks. The second is the criteria for the current round of sports capital grants which give additional points to applicants who are willing to open up their grounds or facilities to more than one user.
Although I welcome the idea of shared resources, does the Minister have a concern there might be a loss of volunteerism, or of funding from his Department?
I do not believe so. It is merely that funds are scarce, much more so than in the past and increasingly it makes sense for clubs to team up with schools or to come together and agree to share facilities where they can. One of the most interesting models I have seen is in France, where almost every municipality has a very high quality municipal sports centre which is shared by different clubs and bodies. That seems to work very well. Obviously, it is hard to retrofit this model in older established areas where it has not been the norm.
