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

I thank Deputy O’Sullivan and I appreciate the comments and his questions as well.

On the whole area of participation, we have seen significant progress at grassroots level. This is something that I have seen as someone who has grown up playing and participating in sports when I go down to all of the local clubs now versus when I was playing myself at a younger age. We are seeing many clubs now where there is nearly equal numbers of boys and girls playing and participating and it is about sustaining that and limiting the attrition that happens right into adulthood when something of a gap occurs. We have for example - I understand where the Deputy has mentioned adults - sought to address this through the Women in Sport programmes which look at participation and focus on the teenage years. If one looks at the funding announced earlier this week, we have a focus on older adults as well and how we can get people active. It may not only be participation in sport.

It could be basic exercise as well, or more general activity. It is not only about formal sporting activity but how we can encourage people to get active. We have good co-operation with Healthy Ireland and the Department of Health on that and on how to get people to encourage their own individual exercise, which is very important.

The Deputy referenced childcare. It has to be a barrier, especially for people in particular cycles of their lives and if they have a number of kids of a young age, I am sure it is extremely difficult when they are working. Sport Ireland has a new maternity policy for carded athletes, which ensures 12 months of funding for them when having a baby. That is just one aspect at a performance level which has worked, but I know childcare is a barrier at a grassroots and community level. I am sure Sport Ireland will be able to give further detail on the research related to that.

I take the Deputy's point on the women players and I know of his sister's involvement a number of years ago with the team. They have shown great leadership around growing the game over many years. That is why we take what they have said extremely seriously and why we will engage in a proper way. One thing I would say is I have noticed from meeting many rugby clubs is that they are developing. Many more girls are playing rugby now and many initiatives are happening on the ground. I have had feedback from and engagement with many clubs that are trying to do that and many more girls are playing rugby. However, where one has concerns articulated like this at a national level, that will have an inevitable impact on the perception of the game at a grassroots level as well.