Mr. John Treacy:

I will comment on some of the draft heads of Bill. The council is pleased its anti-doping recommendations are reflected in the draft legislation. The proposed Bill would see strong information sharing between sport Ireland and other agencies such as the Irish Medicines Board, the Revenue Commissioners and An Garda Síochána. It is important this is included in the legislation as it is in line with international legislation. It is definitely a step in the right direction. The council has been at the forefront in the fight against doping in sport, working closely with international agencies such as the World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA, and the Association of National Anti-Doping Organisations, ANADO, to ensure best international practice is implemented at a national level.

Substantial legislative and operational changes on child protection have been made. The council has done a huge amount of work and has a strong track record in this area. We provide advice, support and training to national sports governing bodies and local clubs with an emphasis on creating a positive culture for children in sport. The council is a resource for sport in the area of child welfare and welcomes its prominence in the new legislation.

The high performance function has been enhanced and the strategy of the council is paying off in terms of medal return, as the chairman outlined. More than 200 podium places have been achieved since 2010. The new legislation specifically outlines the need to support high performance athletes in achieving excellence in sport. This highlights the work of the Institute of Sport, operating out of the National Sports Campus, which delivers world class services to coaches and athletes. More than 2,500 hours were provided by institute service providers to Irish athletes in 2013, a major investment of expertise delivered directly to the best sports people in the country.

We are pleased to see a function to develop coaching at all levels in sport, and acknowledgement of the coaching education programmes. Good coaches develop a life-long involvement in sport, and Coaching Ireland has worked closely with the governing bodies to ensure improved standards in coaching at every level of sport.

It is important and welcome that the function relating to increased participation mentions participation at a local level in particular. The LSPs have a specific remit to promote participation in sport at a local level, and to reach hard to access groups such as women, older people and people living in socially deprived areas. It is worth noting the council has a significant impact on the level of sports participation through the 107 bodies we fund. The national governing bodies and the LSPs engage with hundreds of thousands of people through sport every day. Through the creation of a genuine sporting culture we can influence the wider community and promote healthier living through physical activity.

The Irish Sports Monitor has recorded increases in participation. We saw a major jump in participation rates from 34% to 46% over the three years to 2011. Figures on sedentary behaviour fell from 16% in 2009 to 13% in 2011. If these numbers can be sustained in the long term, we will have achieved something important and unique in Ireland.

The recession has been good for sport and sport has not missed the opportunity. The council places the national governing bodies and LSPs at the heart of Irish sport. They are not specifically referenced in the draft legislation but they will be the key partners and collaborators of sport Ireland. We invest in these organisations to ensure they deliver for their members. This investment is not only financial. Our new organisational capability building programme is proving to be effective and popular.

In total, 55 organisations, including 34 national governing bodies, NGBs, are committed to a process of annual planning, measurement and review with respect to building capacity over the next five years. The target capacities include corporate governance, project management, risk management, leadership, change management and strategic planning. A great deal of good work has been done in terms of organisation capacity with the governing bodies of sport and local sports partnerships, LSPs.

I welcome the reference to the new role of Sport Ireland in the areas of education and information, which has been highlighted among its functions. The council carried out a significant amount of work in terms of anti-doping education, a code of ethics and coaching among other programmes. This will be an important operational area for Sport Ireland as it embarks on its new remit.