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

Gabhaim mo bhuíochas leis an gcoiste as ucht a chuireadh teacht anseo inniu. I thank the committee for the invitation to appear before it to discuss this important topic and for the opportunity to outline some of the actions the Government is taking to address the challenges facing women in sport. The committee has done some important work in facilitating progress in this area. I acknowledge that at the outset.

Equality in sport is a key priority for the Government. Our overall vision is for women to have an equal opportunity to achieve their full potential while enjoying a lifelong involvement in sport. The programme for Government and the national sports policy are unequivocal in their commitment to making this a reality. Making progress in this area is something I am personally committed to and passionate about. It has been a focus for me throughout the past 12 months.

This year has been dominated, as we know, by amazing moments for women's sport. They include Rachel Blackmore's historic Aintree win, Leona Maguire's performance at the Solheim Cup, Kelly Harrington's homecoming, Fionnuala McCormack's second fastest ever marathon time, the biggest ever victory for the women's football team, Amy Hunter becoming the youngest ever batter to hit a century, Emma Slevin becoming the first Irish gymnast to qualify for the all-around finals of the world gymnastics championships and, as we all know, the battle between Dublin and Meath in Croke Park during the summer. All of those moments are inspiring the next generation of women and girls to take up sport, get out and get active and be the next generation of sporting heroes who will inspire us in the years and decades ahead.

We are prioritising the growth in grassroots participation all the way through to high performance via the sporting system, including Sport Ireland, the national governing bodies, local sports partnerships and the Federation of Irish Sport, all of which are contributing to the increase in the number of women and girls taking part in sport. For the information of the committee, I intend to provide a brief update on funding, participation and women's participation in leadership positions. I intend to touch specifically on Gaelic players and on women's rugby.

As members will be aware, the women in sport funding programme has been in place since 2005. Since then, more than €20 million has been invested through the national governing bodies of sport and local sports partnerships around the country. In 2018, funding under the women in sport programme was €600,000. It has increased significantly and Sport Ireland announced investment of €4 million for 2021 and 2022. This investment is having an impact across the sporting system, with 45 sporting organisations set to receive funding under this investment. A further €265,000 has been invested this year in local sports partnerships under the programme. These increases are in the context of an increase in funding for Sport Ireland in the budget for 2022, bringing its total current expenditure budget to more than €96 million compared with €92 million for 2021. This will enable Sport Ireland to continue to support governing bodies and local sports partnerships in delivering programmes for all participants, male and female.

One of the key aims of the national sports policy is to eliminate the gender participation gap in sport support entirely by 2027. The 2019 Irish Sports Monitor, ISM, report showed that the gender gap in sports participation was 3.4%, narrower than at any point over the past ten years. Unfortunately, while the ISM report for the first quarter of 2021 showed that the gender gap was eliminated during the Covid-19 restrictions, the latest ISM figures for quarter 3 showed that the gender gap was beginning to re-emerge as Covid-19 restrictions were lifted. In quarter 3 of 2021, male sport participation had returned to pre-pandemic levels, at 48%, while female participation was 38%, 7% behind the level measured in 2019.

The emerging gradient is a cause for focus, concern and ongoing monitoring. It is now crucial that we move to ensure that the gap is narrowed and closed. To this end, many governing bodies will begin to deliver women in sport in dormant accounts funding programmes this winter which will actively target populations that have disproportionately been impacted by the pandemic, including females, economically and socially disadvantaged communities, people with a disability and ethnic minorities. These targeted activities will form part of a winter initiative for sport to kickstart participation following the reduction in restrictions. The funding provided by the Government and increased participation we are seeking to support will need to be backed by progress at the leadership level. We recognise the importance of ensuring strong gender representation on the boards of governing bodies.

Research in this area consistently shows that balanced boards lead to better outcomes and we need to ensure that this happens in sports. The national sports policy set a target of 30% of either gender on the boards of funded bodies by 2027. In the new action plan for sport I have strengthened that target and we are asking all governing bodies to achieve 40% gender representation on their boards by the end of 2023. It is a particular priority for me to enable women to take more leadership positions in sport and the figure of 40% reflects this prioritisation. I firmly believe that the leadership of sporting organisations needs to reflect their growing female membership.

One of my priorities this year was to eliminate the funding gap that exists in grant funding for male and female Gaelic players. I am very pleased to have achieved that aim and ensure that we now have parity in grant funding. Additional funding of €1.7 million has been provided this year, and for future years, for enhanced support for female intercounty Gaelic games players on an equivalent basis to that being provided to their male counterparts. This additional provision brings the total amount available for female players in this context to €2.4 million. This is a very important development for women's sport and demonstrates the commitment of the Government to equality in sport.

As I am sure the committee members are aware, on Friday the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin, and I received a letter from 59 female international rugby players, both currently active and retired, regarding issues they have with the IRFU. We have responded to the group to advise that a meeting will be sought with the IRFU, and Sport Ireland will also meet the players to discuss the issues raised. That meeting will take place before Christmas. The Minister and I have indicated that we are also happy to meet the players should that be needed and we hope to be able to do that in the next week or so. We will also provide any assistance or guidance that will help to address the issues raised. Sport Ireland has a particular expertise in working with national governing bodies and high-performance athletes and it will work with the players and IRFU to address the issues that have been raised.

Equality in sport is a key priority for the Government. We want to achieve a sporting landscape where women have an equal opportunity to achieve their full potential while enjoying a lifelong involvement in sport. While there has been good progress for women in sport, there are still many challenges that need to be addressed. My officials and I continue to work closely with Sport Ireland and the sports sector with a view to achieving a much improved landscape for women and girls in sport. I am happy to take any questions from members. I thank the Chair.