Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. While I welcome that it will not be a cut of 7% but will be reduced to 3%, it nevertheless still is a cut. There has been a clear link, for which there is evidence from all over the world, between investment and success in sport. While I grant this should not be the only metric by which one measures the value of sport, there can be no denying how victories, such as that of Robert Heffernan, have been great in lifting the nation. However, such successes require funding that possibly will be hit by the aforementioned cut to funding. Paddy Barnes, Ireland's two-time Olympic medalist, has stated that without more money, Irish boxing is going nowhere. He stated:

It’s the Sports Council’s fault because they need to put money into the IABA in order for them to put boxing out there... It’s the best sport in Ireland but with the budget we get, we can’t even afford to send the girls away to the World Championships. [That is a huge issue.] ... We're training in a 1970s gym more or less and everything has to be modernised... We need the money. Without the money, boxing is going to stay the same as it is.

The money of the Irish Amateur Boxing Association, IABA, is limited because the money available to the Irish Sports Council is limited. How does the Minister of State intend to ensure that high performance programmes, such as the boxing programme, will not struggle but will continue to support key athletes?

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