Mr. James Galvin:

The Federation of Irish Sport welcomes the opportunity to present its ideas as part of the "Sport in Ireland" module. We fully appreciate the broad and challenging nature of the committee's remit, with the ongoing pressures of constituency work. It is crucial, however, that Irish Sport work in partnership with the wider political and policy communities in shaping future policy. This platform is a key part of that process and I am thankful for the opportunity. The Federation of Irish Sport is the representative body for Ireland's national governing bodies, local sports partnerships and other voluntary sports organisations. Its membership comprises over 100 sports organisations. It is a not-for-profit organisation which champions the value of sport.

I shall address the topics in sequence. We compliment the Ministers responsible for sport on raising these vital issues and giving them a forum. I will begin with governance. While the governance of Irish sport has been topical in recent times, a huge amount of work is being undertaken in the background to implement best practice. We have seen difficulties emerge in other sectors in recent years and the reputational damage that has been done as a consequence. It is in all of our interests to get this right. Many smaller national governing bodies, however, expend significant time and energy in implementing the code of governance, with limited resources. It is an extra cost that some organisations have difficulty in absorbing. These are not opt-outs or excuses but facts. Many national governing bodies are under-resourced, resulting in senior and volunteer staff working across multiple roles. The austerity years have added to these difficulties and the funding levels of Irish sport, despite modest increases in the past two budgets, are still significantly off peak current funding levels in 2007. Increased funding is not the only part of the solution, but it is an important one that needs to be acknowledged.

We fully recognise that with funding, particularly State funding, comes responsibility. Our members know this and welcome it. Transparency and accountability are key to stakeholder confidence. Applying the governance code effectively will require the parallel establishment of a monitoring and evaluation system that will document processes, train members and evaluate their performances. In addition, the federation recommends the setting up of an internal audit function in Sport Ireland to assist national governing bodies in improving compliance. Such measures will need to be resourced appropriately.

It is important to acknowledge the positive role of Sport Ireland's organisation development unit in building capabilities. The unit is valued highly by national governing bodies and local sports partnerships. It is important to recognise the practicalities of implementation within Irish sport and elsewhere. For governing bodies established as companies limited by guarantee, almost all of the changes would require a change to the articles of the company which, in turn, would require 75% of the members present and voting at the meeting to approve the changes. In some cases, boards are made up of individuals from specific committees; therefore, the matter is not uncomplicated. For some, it will mean changing fundamentally how the organisation has operated for its entire existence. Therefore, it will require time and, in many cases, a supportive approach to the governing bodies to bring about this type of change. We believe all sports should be asked to embrace these general principles but that discussion should take place with the relevant bodies individually on implementation and timescales.

There are many ways to address this issue, one being adopting a tiered approach, based on funding support or other measures, which has been adopted in the United Kingdom, or a comply or explain approach, for example, or both.

Irrespective of the approach, we believe strongly in getting Irish sport to embrace not just the concept of good governance but the real practical changes to effect it.

The Federation of Irish Sport welcomes the recent discussions with the Minister and Minister of State on the subject of gender quotas on boards. We fully agree with the spirit of the policy, and will continue to proactively engage with all stakeholders and the wider commentariat in that regard. However, its implementation may pose particular challenges for some of our members. For example, consideration and understanding should be afforded to single-gender-dominated sport bodies. It is clear, however, that where male and females participate in the same or a similar sport and they are under the one governing body, diversity on boards is more prevalent. Therefore, this is something that should be encouraged, as has happened whereby various sporting organisations of specific genders are partnering up to deliver for the sport as a whole.

There are inherent risks in appointing people to positions based on their gender rather than appropriate experience, competence and qualification for the role. Aggressive implementation could lead to resentment, and run contrary to the intentions of the policy. Parallel to discussions on quotas, we need to have a much wider debate about the traditional barriers to women's representation on boards.

Clearly this issue is not confined to sporting bodies. It is reflected in the private and public sectors and at the highest level in the Civil Service. It is also reflected in directors' remuneration and overall disparities in levels of pay. There are findings, insights and solutions to be shared from other sectors, and we want to be part of that wider conversation. Given the collective nature of directors' responsibility, there may be a detrimental impact on recruiting competent people if they believe that quotas are promoting candidates beyond their ability. The evidence that this changes over the medium term needs to be examined as part of these discussions.

Similar to our comments on governance, we believe that Irish sporting organisations should be required to embrace the principle and agree an implementation plan as appropriate to show a real intention to address the issues. Our view in this case is that a tiered approach should be considered as sporting organisations differ vastly in terms of their operations and their capacity. Furthermore, where change is embraced and committed to from the sport, it is likely to become part of the culture of the sport rather than a tick-the-box exercise.

Irish sport realises that the Government continues to have to make difficult decisions on funding. Sport has already taken huge hits and any further curtailment in the investment will greatly damage sport and its potential. Investment is essential to the future well-being of Irish sport as such funding initially provides the programmes that lead to driving participation and unearthing new talents. Those talents are then nurtured by the funding to create the high-performance sportsmen and sportswomen who do our country proud.

While new facilities are extremely worthwhile, they bring additional operational outlays which must, at least for a period of time, be funded. This must be taken into account when comparing and considering Government investment in sport. We contend that it is investment as opposed to grants to the statutory agency, the governing bodies, local sports partnerships and others involved to deliver a service to people in Ireland through their day-to-day work of developing, promoting and delivering sporting opportunities and structured competitions, events and the entire relevant infrastructure to support those involved.

Irish Sport has come a long way since dedicated Government investment and funding commenced in 1997. Sport extends across virtually every activity in constituencies, villages and towns throughout the country. Sport is a driver and partner of policy formation offering different perspectives, new thinking and innovative solutions. Traditionally Irish sport is a sector that does a lot with relatively little. However, society has changed and so has the way in which sport operates. What was acceptable in many cases previously is not acceptable now and the role of the governing bodies and others is vital to the infrastructure of Irish sport and ensuring that sport does not just happen, but happens in a safe and sustainable environment.

We now have the opportunity to embark on a wider conversation about how sport is funded, its role in shaping public policy, and corresponding Government strategies and interventions. We need a government with the vision to recognise and embrace this opportunity by encouraging and facilitating this debate. Government funding is an integral part of the development of our sportsmen and sportswomen, young and old. Without Government funding it would not be possible to provide the very successful grassroots and developmental programmes organised and administered by national governing bodies and local sports partnerships in every county of Ireland ensuring that our sportsmen and sportswomen get the opportunity to realise their potential.

I will now outline the key building blocks to ensure Ireland's sporting future. We wish to see the implementation of a national sport strategy that maximises the power and positivity of sport across Government to enhance the lives and health of all Ireland's citizens. The strategy should be both aspirational and transformative with ring-fenced funding, dedicated political oversight and review mechanisms.

We wish to see the restoration of funding levels for sport to 2008 levels next year. We wish to see them increased by 20% by 2020 through costed programmes and initiatives to deliver targeted outcomes in terms of increased participation and retention levels as well as high-performance sport. We also ask that a system of multiannual funding be introduced. Multiannual funding would facilitate the development of more strategic and longer-term planning for sports bodies, and would provide them with more certainty about their funding than currently exists. It would also allow Sport Ireland to make funding decisions on the basis of these longer-term plans.

We need to provide the next generation with the best opportunities. We need to commit to the delivery of at least two hours' mandatory sport and physical activity each week, as recommended by the Department of Health and the WHO, while trying to formalise links between schools and community sports clubs. All of this will impact on the quality of service and capacity of NGBs and LSPs to recruit members, and develop and deliver sports programmes across the country.

The programme for Government refers to the "significant social and health benefits that participation in sport delivers". As we have outlined, that is only part of the picture. Sport interacts with policy in public health promotion, social integration, cultural identity, education, job creation and building relationships with the "new Irish" communities and yet we are significantly under-utilised and under-resourced as a driver and shaper of policy change. We have much more to offer and are willing to play that role.

Sport in this country is part of our culture and who we are. However, we must work to ensure it is inclusive and sustainable throughout the lifecycle. There is plenty in what we have outlined and what will have been received through submissions from the governing bodies, local sports partnerships and others on the national sports policy to put concrete solutions in place to address the challenges we face and to help sporting organisations deliver on their potential to bring sport to all of the people.