Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate and thank the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Ring, for introducing the Sport Ireland Bill 2014. It will give effect to the Government’s decision to merge the Irish Sports Council and the National Sports Campus Development Authority, NSCDA, into Sport Ireland. This was one of the measures contained in the Government’s programme for the rationalisation of State agencies. I am delighted 44 sporting bodies have so far been merged. This, however, seems to have gone below the radar of both the national and local press. At one stage, there was a love affair with quangos. They do not just cause extra red tape but cost much money to run. Sometimes I felt some quangos were set up with chief executives and directors of services but were not providing front-line services or expertise. This year, the Government hopes to save €20 million by merging another 63 State bodies. Yesterday, I, along with the Minister, went into the brand new government offices in Roscommon where our by-election candidate, Maura Hopkins, was lodging her nomination papers. It was great to see four departmental agencies using the same building.

The Minister is bringing change to sporting governance and ensuring sporting governing bodies have competence and responsibilities in their functions. It was mentioned earlier that change has come to the GAA too. Bringing in Sky Sports to broadcast GAA games was very innovative. Some people complained this would undermine the association but it has actually brought in a new audience. I was amused by some of the tweets from Sky Sports viewers in the UK when they watched some of the hurling games. I am still laughing at one tweeter who asked if there were actually any rules to the game or was it a mixture of hockey and murder. Hurling is now being spoken about abroad which brings more revenue to the GAA. I congratulate it on this change.

The hosting of some of the European football championship games in Dublin in 2020 is wonderful news. Some people do not fully realise how significant this will be. I was at my first European soccer championship in 1988 when I ran a double-decker bus to Germany for two weeks. Up to 20 of us slept upstairs and cooked downstairs. To beat England then was the start of having confidence in our sporting teams as well as ourselves. When 2020 comes along, I hope we will be 32 years undefeated in a game to England, our near neighbours and friends.

Sport plays a significant part in our lives, bringing mostly enjoyment.

The reason for that is that if we lose at soccer, we will move on to rugby, Gaelic football, hurling or whatever else. I thank the Minister of State for bringing the Bill to the House. The legislation is innovative and long sought and I am delighted to support it.

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