Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is a pleasure for me to get the opportunity to speak to this Bill. I am pleased the Minister of State is here and I compliment him on the administration of the sports capital grants, including its financing and the manner in which it was distributed to many clubs, even if the benefit was a relatively modest amount. That was the right approach and it got great value for money for the Exchequer, which is welcome. The Bill's purpose is to amalgamate the Irish Sports Council and the National Sports Campus Development Authority. To use a sporting term, this will make the new body - Sport Ireland - leaner, meaner and more efficient and competitive in administering and supervising our sports.

I will deal first with the elite sporting men and women in our country. Some of us remember the feel-good factor way back in 1988 when our soccer team participated and did so well in the European Championship in Germany. Many people believe the resurgence of the Irish football team at those championships was the beginning of the Celtic tiger. It may well have been a coincidence but there is no doubt that the country got a major boost from it in all areas. The investment in sport benefits elite sporting people to begin with. We have seen success in our Olympians, including our boxers and other international athletes, and this brings well-being and a good feeling to the nation. For that alone, sports investment is very important. Through the sports campus we have seen the development of centres of excellence, and there is investment in elite sportsmen and sportswomen, which is money well spent. It should be ratcheted up, if possible, in future.

As a member of the committee dealing with sports, I know from time to time representatives of the Irish Sports Council would come before it to justify its expense. I would like to see more emphasis placed on the reporting of the achievement of personal bests from our athletes rather than the constant drive for medals. Perhaps this is media-driven but such a process does not reflect the true nature of the improvement of our athletes. It is disappointing if we see athletes going to major European or world events but not achieving personal bests. It is at those showcases that such milestones should be reached, and we would get far greater feel for how the public investment in our elite sports stars is paying off if they reached such targets. That idea should be taken on board much more than it is. I note that some athletes, such as Rob Heffernan in Cork, are overnight sensations who are approximately 15 years on the go. If they win medals, they get justified coverage, but athletes like Mr. Heffernan may be on the go for years, getting there slowly and by degrees, beating their previous personal bests. That is the way to go.

I commend the Irish Sports Council on its coaching and anti-doping efforts, as well as its work to attract more women, older people and people with disabilities into more active participation in sports and keeping well. I would like to see, for example, greater engagement with service delivery agents like CoAction in west Cork and the Irish Sports Council. It does tremendous work with clients with mental and physical disabilities or challenges, and there is much payback in such efforts. I hope to see a greater initiative and investment in such work.

Sport is a huge business and it is estimated that almost $700 billion is spent on sport globally. In Ireland, it is estimated that 38,000 people are employed in the sports sector, with 270,000 volunteers contributing approximately €500 million to our economy. It goes further, as active participation, exercise, team and individual sports mean people become less sedentary in their activities, with a major payback in the overall health of people in this country. It has been estimated that total State investment in 2008 of €618 million saw an Exchequer return of approximately €922 million. This State investment in sports achieves a greater return for the Exchequer in investment terms, and it provides a major return in the physical and mental health of our people, tackling the likes of obesity, isolation and general malaise in many people. If a person is involved in team or individual sports, it means he or she has excellent prospects.

The Economic and Social Research Institute and the Irish Sports Council did some work, taking in people in my county of Cork. Some of the figures are quite interesting. For example, 61% of adults took a recreational walk the previous week, which is a higher proportion than the national average. Team games seem to appeal little to women and those aged over 30 but there is no gender gap, for example, in individual sports. Perhaps we could deliver some policy objectives in this regard through the new Sport Ireland. People of high socio-economic status are very much more likely to be active participants in sport, and perhaps the council should consider that closely. Likelihood of active participation falls with age, with the sharpest reductions occurring in young adulthood and old age. People living in Cork city and towns are more likely to play sport than those living in more rural locations. Complete inactivity is most common among older people and middle-aged men.

The study also refers to some policy implications, with which I fully agree. Perhaps the Minister of State will relay them to the new Sport Ireland body. People in lower socio-economic groups must be the primary target for sports promotion, and such promotion must extend beyond team games in order to be more attractive to women and adults over 30. There is a need to target promotion of sport and exercise among people in more isolated rural locations, perhaps by exploiting pre-existing social networks.

That is very important and I fully agree with that. I recall once calling to a friend's house when his exasperated parents were asking the lad why he did not get involved in sports like Johnny up the road, who was out day and night, bringing home medals and not going to the pub. They asked their son what he was good at and he replied "I am good at pool and darts". We need to be more proactive in adapting policies, networks and initiatives to make sure that the people attracted to that kind of lifestyle find an alternative. Those who spend hours in front of screens, whether television screens or gaming consoles, day in day out, have little activity and no social interaction. This is becoming a major problem. It leads to social isolation. One could end up as the loneliest person in the biggest city in the world. It is a challenge for Sport Ireland to address that type of behaviour. It is not new but it will get much worse before it gets better. Sport Ireland, with the help of the sports campus in Blanchardstown, and a reinvigorated sports network will help to alleviate much of that problem. Sports offer the best opportunity to deliver the well-being of our citizens and communities and of the country. I commend the Minister of State’s work in this area. I am pleased that this merger is going ahead, as are the Sports Council and the National Sports Campus in Blanchardstown. It will create one body out of two, a leaner, more competitive body for the better development of our country.

See this speech in context