Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

A large group of women sent a letter to the Minister of State. Imagine the utter frustration about the lack of transparency and accountability and obstruction that caused them to actually send that letter. They had several requests, one of which was that the Minister of State request oversight of the ongoing reviews to make sure the findings are transparent. They also want the recommendations of the reviews to be made available to all players and put in the public domain. Given the IRFU's response and what happened with women players in the FAI and so on, this must be taken seriously. We need a stronger message from the Minister of State. He said the engagement would be robust and comprehensive.

The Minister of State could put it out there that he expects to have oversight of the ongoing reviews and that he wants those reviews published and put in the public domain. As the previous speaker said, how else are we to correct any wrongs or misdoings? It is very important that we do that.

Given the level of dissatisfaction and the reluctance of the IRFU to listen to and address those concerns raised by the Minister of State, it is no harm for the message to go out that if proper governance is not adhered to, State funding will be withheld until it gets its ducks in a row and players, particularly female players, do not feel that they are cast to one side. It is quite serious. The serious message needs to come from the Minister of State that we will not pump State funding into the organisation until it cleans up its act.