Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I know of the Senator's interest in sport and we have had many engagements on it. With regard to the return of spectators to stadiums, in the road map and framework we have set out, particularly in levels 1 and 2, that stadiums with a capacity of fewer than 5,000 would be permitted a maximum of 200 people. There is ongoing work on stadiums with a capacity of in excess of 5,000. We have had extensive engagement with all of the national governing bodies to try to work through it. We have been open-ended in the plan, particularly for levels 1 and 2, on how we can do this in a collaborative way to try to ensure stadia in as safe a way as possible can facilitate the return of spectators. A report is being produced and it is intended to assist NPHET and the Government in proposing plans for the opening of sports grounds for spectators in as safe a way as possible. At level 5 it will not happen. We must think not only about the stadia but broader stakeholder engagement, such as with the NTA on transport capacity for a match and how we engage with the Garda Síochána to ensure safe physical distancing outside of stadia. There are specific logistics within a stadium but also how entry and exit is managed and how events would be ticketed. A lot of work is going on in this regard and an extensive report is being prepared.