Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Dr. May mentioned earlier in her statement that "volunteering in sport needs to remain an attractive position". I agree 100% with her because if we look at sport nowadays, and especially the number of women getting involved in teen sports, we can see the Irish soccer, rugby and GAA teams all doing very well. I have been involved with sport all my life. At present, I am chairman of the Louth GAA county board so I am involved with a lot of sport.

The issue at the moment is that every sporting organisation is finding it very hard to get officials. When I say officials I mean referees and coaches. It is about trying to get people to come and give a hand because the word is "volunteers". These people come along and, to be honest, I noticed in the last number of years that the abuse they are receiving is getting increasingly worse. The thing is, we need protection. In her statement, Dr. May mentioned training and supports for these people. Is there any kind of accountability with the money Sport Ireland is giving to the sporting organisations? What I mean by that is Sport Ireland is giving money to these organisations, but is the money going to look after the officials and coaches who are doing this voluntary work at the moment? Is there any kind of accountability for that? It is very important that there is some way of tracking the money, which is a lot, that Sport Ireland gives to these organisations.

Dr. May mentioned that Sport Ireland does not really get involved in the complaints and that it kind of lets the organisations look after themselves. We are talking about the GAA with referees, rugby with the spirit of the law and a group organisation with soccer. What I am trying to say is that accountability must be there. I know myself that as a parent and grandparent, I want to be sure that when my son or daughter goes out there, they are getting the best protection. In fairness, Mr. Ó Lionáin and Ms O'Connor made the point about social media but I do not care what anybody says - social media and online abuse have a free run. I know they mentioned the Minister doing this and that at the moment but nothing is being done. Parents ring me on a daily basis about the abuse they are getting in the newspapers and about the referees.

Something has to be done. Ireland is a sporting nation and it is great to see everything going well. I agree with Ms O'Connor, who stated that the abuse of referees was an ugly blind spot. People believe that money can fix the situation. It helps, but it does not fix it. We have no systems in place. I come from a GAA background, but I am sure that the situation is the same elsewhere. We need people to feel like they are wanted and that their money is going to the right places.

I do not agree with the comments about social media. The situation is getting worse. Someone might say that A, B and C is being done, but it is not. There are elite sports people who are probably getting more attention than the normal person who plays with his or her club and community. What are the organisations before us doing to distribute money and look after referees and other officials? Will they tell me so that I can go home and tell my children and grandchildren that something is being done and that the abuse in the sporting environment will not carry on when they go to work or school the next morning and they can enjoy a normal day without seeing it online or in newspapers? That is the main issue. What are the three organisations doing to help?