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

I thank the Senator for the questions. I will try to get through them. On sports capital, which we have discussed before, I take the Senator’s point on County Longford. We have structured the funding this year by splitting it half-and-half between demand and per capita. This will allow for a fair distribution across the country. On the Senator’s point, we are developing a national digital database which will show the deficits in certain regions, pockets and communities around the country. It will map every indoor and outdoor facility, enable participation across organisations, identify opportunities and support funding models into the future. Work has commenced on that database and involves an audit of every sporting facility in every town, village and townland. We expect it will take approximately two years to complete. It will be a public-facing portal accessed using an app. People will be able to see every piece of working infrastructure in every townland and region. It will be huge for participation and helping to inform further funding models.

I agree with the Senator that the 2020 campaign was very important for the promotion of women’s sport. That is why the Minister and I increased the funding allocation by 33% on the previous round. It is a two-year programme and has been allocated €4 million for this year and next year. As the Senator will know, we equalised grants for male and female players in Gaelic games. On grants generally, we also enhanced the international carding scheme for all athletes in recent days.

On the issue with boxing that has been in the public domain recently, Sport Ireland appeared before the committee on 3 November. Sport Ireland has commenced an independent governance review, which is being carried out by Brian MacNeice of Teneo. It will assess the full governance structures. We expect the review to report by the end of November. There are other concerns in the public domain around particular individuals. There are structures in sporting governance whereby people who have particular concerns can appeal through Sports Dispute Solutions Ireland, SDSI. These rules are set out within the IABA and other sporting organisations. It is an independent structure and the mechanism for dealing with that. There is also a separate independent governance review.

To speak generally, boxing is an important sport in Ireland, across many communities, both as regards participation and competing. We achieved great success in boxing last summer. I hope we will see progress around the review. I accept there is tension around different individuals and in different areas but we need to keep focused on participation, performance and communities, as well as any governance issues that arise. That is why the independent governance review will report by the end of November. There will have to be recommendations and an implementation plan arising from that. That will be overseen by Sport Ireland with the IABA.