Annie Hoey (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Mulvey and Mr. Treacy. What was said about FitLine was very interesting. I will reach out to some people in my community and talk to them about this brilliant initiative. I have five questions so I will bounce them quickly.

Does Sport Ireland have any comment on the benefits of TV sport on the mental health of the nation during the pandemic? I refer to the benefits outweighing the dangers that exist when sportspeople and their backroom teams meet up and train. For many, it would seem that there is a benefit but I wonder if Sport Ireland is carrying out any research on the matter or if the witnesses have any comments to make.

Does Sport Ireland support the need for a light-up campaign in sports facilities in rural areas such as for GAA, soccer and rugby to enable activity within the 5 km boundary? Should financial support be provided to clubs for such an initiative? A lot of people have taken up walking in recent months and there are concerns about people keeping that up in the dark evenings. I would welcome a comment in that regard.

We welcome the recent funding for local sports partnerships, LSPs, that was so badly needed for many sports clubs. Unfortunately, many clubs missed out on this round of funding for a variety of reasons. Does Sport Ireland and the Government plan to provide further funding for clubs, some of which are in trouble financially? It is crucial to keep clubs going at this time.

There is an increase in the number of people working from home. Are there any concerns in that regard? My party proposed a right-to-switch-off Bill to enable people to separate work life and home life. Are the witnesses worried about how the constant calls from employers might affect downtime and people's interaction with sports? Has Sport Ireland considered how we might encourage the increased number of people working from home to take on further sports and activities? How do we entice people to get out and about in the absence of work-based sports?

Do the witnesses have any comments on how the lockdown is affecting elite athletes? There was a brief comment on it. Has their funding been affected in any way and are they still able to train and work with their coaches in level 5?