Sport Ireland is the statutory body with responsibility for the promotion, development and coordination of sport. This includes responsibility for the allocation of State funding to sport, including funding for research activity. I have therefore referred the Deputy's question to Sport Ireland for direct reply in relation to the specific details of the funding provided to sport over the last five years. I would ask the Deputy to inform my office if a reply is not received within 10 days.
Funding invested in sport makes a major contribution to improving the health and quality of life of our society in many ways. Important benefits of sport include its role in promoting inclusion, combating loneliness and addressing isolation. These benefits can accrue not merely as a result of participation in sport but also from the perspective of the many thousands of spectators that attend sporting events throughout the country every year.
I will launch the National Sports Policy in the coming weeks which will outline further details of the Government's plans to increase participation levels in sport across the population and, in doing so, foster increased social inclusion and community spirit through the medium of sport.