Ms Geraldine McTavish:

I thank the Deputy for the question. Since 2004, the new disability and inclusion in sport policy and that statement of commitment and action has given us a broader policy and guidelines on how to create those environments the Deputy is talking about. It is making sure that the language, the framework, the training and the education are around the sector, which is what that policy is delivering for us at present.

Looking at the operational plan and many of the clubs and local sport partnerships, they all have their own mechanism of attracting the community. What we have found from the national governing bodies of sport is that they have created their own disability plans. With those, they are now working on key actions to make sure they are accessible and inclusive through terminology, initiatives and programmes but also through making sure their communication is accessible to people, from their websites to their apps. We are seeing the national governing bodies working on that area with their disability plans. We are also seeing the local sports partnerships rolling out through their operational plans.

It is a pillar that runs through their whole strategic plan and is not something idle that stands alone. The Deputy complimented that in light of where we started, which may have been quite siloed. Now, it is being ingrained in the strategic plans, policy developments and engagement with other sectors. We are seeing that through pilot programmes with the HSE and different agencies. We are starting to see more and more of the integration, inclusion and making things more accessible.

One of the programmes we have rolled out in recent years is the universal design for sport. We have been leading on that through Sport Ireland and down through the national governing bodies and LSPs, re-educating them on the universal design for sport. That has made our clubs and venues more accessible.