David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to speak on the Bill, which I began to research yesterday in preparation for the debate. The Minister of State, Deputy Ring, has probably one of the most important Ministries in the country.

Sport is a broad subject. I asked myself what sport is and looked for a definition of it. In the course of the debate, colleagues have discussed competitive sport, walking, cycling and running. The Irish Sports Council has a very good definition of it, namely, that sport means all forms of physical activity, which through casual or organised participation aim at expressing or improving physical fitness and mental well-being, forming social relationships or obtaining results in competition at all levels. That covers everything, whether one is in the Olympics or one just goes for a walk down the road.

I listened to the debate during the day. All forms of sport have been mentioned, from the really intense sports played at intense levels to the slightly more than casual exercise everyone should undertake. The primary purpose of the Bill is to provide for the dissolution of the Irish Sports Council and the National Sports Campus Development Authority and the merger of their functions into a single entity. There are also proposals to enhance provisions on anti-doping in Irish sport. Both of the organisations to which I referred have done amazing work. The authority is responsible for the operation of the National Aquatic Centre at Blanchardstown. It accommodates the headquarters of the FAI and the Irish Institute of Sport, which is an amazing body. The headquarters of Irish Sport will be located in Blanchardstown. The authority also administers the headquarters of 19 national governing bodies.

At one level, sport is big business and there is a considerable economic benefit to it. Figures are available that indicate the value of sport to the economy. Reference has been made to sports grants and the programme in which the Minister of State was involved in the previous two years. I congratulate him on his work and that of his staff. The programme appeared to work well and to be fair.

One area I would like the Minister of State to examine is the local authority swimming pool programme as nothing has been done in that regard for some time. We must look again at the programme if finances permit. A value for money review was carried out on the programme a number of years ago, which was mainly positive. It suggested that no other piece of sports recreational infrastructure can provide the same level of access and ability in terms of catering for all age groups and fitness levels in all weathers for up to 18 hours a day, seven days a week. We are an island nation and I contend that every child should have an opportunity to learn how to swim as part of the curriculum and that no child should leave primary school without being able to swim. That should be a national aim. Like the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, I come from a constituency which is, in part, bounded by the sea. He has been in my constituency and has seen some of the activities that are ongoing. Coastal rowing is a growing sport. The Whitegate rowing club was extremely successful this year. So many sports can evolve and develop when people learn how to swim and get involved with water-based activities.

Mention has been made on a few occasions of alcohol and the power of sport to act as a deterrent to anti-social behaviour. Much work and studies have been carried out in the area. A study was carried out in 2011 as part of a criminology master’s degree thesis on youth involvement in sport with anti-social delinquent behaviour. I am involved in the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality and Defence and we have an interest in diverting people from anti-social behaviour. The results of the study identified loitering, alcohol consumption and shoplifting as the top three anti-social behaviours in which participants engaged. The pattern remained constant throughout the findings, even when variables such as gender and involvement in certain activities were isolated. The results found that participants who were involved in organised sports in school or outside it were less likely to engage in anti-social behaviour compared to participants who were not involved in organised sport. Straight away, there is a positive advantage in having young people involved in sport.

Colleagues previously referred to obesity. Again, we all know there are two reasons for obesity; one is eating too much of the wrong food and the second is not being involved in physical activity. Sport comes into view in that regard. I agree with what Deputy Spring said about panels involved in organised sport whereby children who are not good at the sport are left on the side-line. I urge clubs and organisations to ensure all children get to play and are not left sitting on the bench. There is nothing worse for a child than to be left sitting on the bench and to become disillusioned. There is an element of winning at all costs at under-age level, which can be damaging. Some organisations do not seem to be aware of the situation. I will not mention any names but all organisations should consider the issue and how the situation could be changed.

To return to alcohol, Alcohol Action maintains that 97% of public order offences and 76% of all rapes involve alcohol. It would be so much the better if we could divert people from excessive abuse of alcohol. I was in a store recently and came across all kinds of promotions for alcohol. One in particular caught my eye. A bottle of own-brand vodka containing approximately 700 ml cost €13. That is highly irresponsible. There are all kinds of alcohol promotions in the multiples, for example, promoting two for one. When I was young, one could buy a six-pack of beer but now it is a slab of cans and they are available at ridiculously low prices. We must do something about that. I accept the groceries order was abolished in 2005 but such pricing is of concern. Another related issue that we must examine is the resulting closure of pubs, which at least they provide some kind of controlled environment for the consumption of alcohol.

Much of the alcohol in supermarkets is imported. One student told me that the ridiculously cheap alcohol is causing terrible damage. If one mixes it with any other substance, it can be fatal. The reason I mention alcohol in this context is that sport has a role to play in diverting people from excessive alcohol consumption. A colleague previously indicated that if a young person is involved in sport, he or she will respect himself or herself more and will very often not get involved in such behaviour.

Reference was previously made to walkways, cycle-ways and footpaths. We must identify roads and other pathways around towns and villages and make them safe and attractive for people to walk and cycle. It is very important to get people out. There is nothing worse than walking along a road close to a town or village without a footpath or proper facilities. I approve of the rejuvenation of disused railway lines as greenways and walkways. There is a disused railway line between Midleton and Youghal. Deputy McLellan will agree with my wish to see it opened as a greenway and walkway.

I note from my former job that when students reach leaving certificate year, they take on or are put under pressure to study and many of them give up sport and other such activities. Perhaps we could examine the inclusion of some form of credit for involvement in physical activity at leaving certificate level so that if a student is involved in sport, he or she should be encouraged to keep it up.

Girls at this age are inclined to give up sport completely and this is very unhealthy. Perhaps the authorities can examine ways to encourage youngsters in this respect. We give extra credit for honours maths in the leaving certificate and perhaps we should also do so for involvement in sport and physical activity.

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