Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the Sport Ireland Bill which is a welcome and overdue piece of housekeeping in respect of the administrative structures for Irish sport. In welcoming the merger of the Irish Sports Council and the National Sports Campus Development Authority, I pay tribute to the staff of both organisations.

I have no doubt but that under the new aegis of sport Ireland, whomsoever may be at its helm will be as committed as were its constituent parts to the promotion and the best interests of sport in Ireland. In the brief time available to me, I wish to raise a number of issues that sport Ireland might take up as issues of interest to it and to the public at large in respect of sport and participation. I also wish to raise some issues the Minister of State might usefully pursue. At the outset, I congratulate the Minister of State on his tenure as Minister and, in particular, on his success in securing funding in difficult times for sport infrastructure nationwide. I also thank him for the even-handed approach he has adopted with regard to the distribution and allocation of that funding, which I believe is significantly at variance with that of his predecessors.

One issue that sport Ireland may take up but the Minister of State in particular must take up is the inaction by the Government on the issue of alcohol abuse. At present, the Government's approach to this issue is borderline shambolic. It is stumbling from proposals for minimum pricing and is long-fingering proposals in that regard. Abusive alcohol consumption is a cancer in Irish society and is closely associated with sporting organisations, which is very regrettable. According to figures provided by the National Off-Licence Association before an Oireachtas committee hearing, incredibly Irish taxpayers subsidise the below-cost sale of alcohol to the tune of €21 million per annum through refunds to the multiples that have grossly offensive advertisements in the daily newspapers every day of the week, as well as in every Sunday newspaper, which are designed to increase footfall in order that they may sell other products to consumers. Members must get serious on this issue, as the current position is borderline shambolic. The Government appears to have abdicated its position on minimum pricing until such time as the European Commission rules on the Scottish proposals, which are now under appeal there. The Minister of State should be in no doubt but that we are dealing with a powerful vested interest in the form of the drinks industry. Members have seen the tobacco industry flexing its muscles on plain packaging, but equally I have no doubt Members are witnessing arm twisting behind the scenes by the drinks industry with regard to minimum pricing. I note that at the stroke of a pen in the morning, the Government could reinstate the ban on below-cost selling of alcohol as was provided for in the groceries order that was abolished in 2006. This measure is long overdue and I urge the Minister of State to take it on board. Taxpayers are subsidising the multiples to the tune of €21 million in selling below-cost alcohol. Were it possible to ring-fence that funding for the Minister of State's Department, he could make a great deal of progress on capital infrastructure nationwide.

Section 4 provides that sport Ireland will have responsibility for tackling doping. This is welcome and I also welcome the role played by the Irish Sports Council in particular in this regard, as well as the funds it has committed. I raise two related issues, the first of which is the use of creatine and sports supplements in sport, particularly in physical contact sports, which is not exclusively but perhaps predominantly associated with rugby. I believe that all physical contact sports are experiencing the increasing use, by young people in particular, of supplements and creatine. It is important to put on record the comments of people who I consider to be prominent and I hope I will not misquote them. Tony Ward, who is a former international rugby player and is a high-profile individual, is on the record as stating he considers the supplement or drug culture now infiltrating the game to be legalised cheating. Ruth Wood-Martin, who is the nutritionist with the IRFU, has stated that no player under 18 should use supplements and should avoid creatine. She went on to state that some supplements may be harmful and routinely contain banned substances. As for the long-term consequences for the young people concerned, this is a ticking time bomb and many parents in particular in a way are almost helpless to counter the growing demand from their children, who like everybody wish to be the next Brian O'Driscoll or the next Paul O'Connell. I dare say this is not exclusive to rugby because I am sure it is crossing over into other physical contact sports, including the GAA codes, soccer and so on. Clear and binding protocols on all bodies affiliated to the Irish Sports Council or sport Ireland are required in this regard.

The other issue I believe must be taken up is that of head injuries. There has been extensive coverage in the media of the adverse consequences, which regrettably in some of the most extreme cases include death but which routinely involve dementia and brain damage. I note that Dr. O'Driscoll resigned from the IRFU medical advisory group because of its failure to abide by or adhere to recognised international norms in this regard. Every day, the newspapers carry sad stories about individuals who have suffered in this regard. The Minister of State will be aware of the clash of the Mayo titans that took place recently down in Limerick. While it may or may not have been a contributory factor to the outcome, I believe that Cillian O'Connor and Aidan O'Shea clashed accidentally on the pitch. Although both were taken off, both actually came back onto the pitch. While I appreciate they had medical advice on the sidelines, had binding protocols been in place one must question whether that would have been allowed. I believe it is time to tackle the issue head on. The entire area of head injuries associated with sport is a silent global epidemic and it is a matter that should be tackled head on.

Another ticking time bomb for society is obesity. A HSE task force on obesity, which by coincidence was chaired by Mr. John Treacy, head of the Irish Sports Council, produced a report in 2005 which found that in Ireland, 39% of adults were overweight, 18% of adults were obese, and 2,000 premature deaths were associated with it at a cost of approximately €4 billion per annum to the State. While this report was from 2005, I have not seen any great evidence that the State is sufficiently exercised to address the issue. I will turn to some of the more interesting comments in this issue. At a conference held by the Irish Heart Foundation, the former Secretary General of the Department of Health, Dr. Ambrose McLoughlin, stated the obesity problem is so bad that the present generation of parents may be the first to bury their own children. This is a wake-up call as to the scale of the problem. Professor Donal O'Shea, a consultant endocrinologist, stated the health service is close to being overwhelmed by the number of obese children. He stated there has been an increase of 1,200% at the extreme end of obesity, that is, those with a body mass index score in excess of 52, whereas an index score of between 18 and 25 is considered to be the norm. These statistics should be real wake-up calls. While this is somewhat like the point made by my colleague, Deputy Connaughton, there almost is a knee-jerk reaction in such circumstances to load a great number of things to do onto schools, which have a role to play. While sport Ireland will have many roles to play, it could usefully take up this issue of obesity and be the advocate for cross-departmental change in this area.

There is no single issue that will solve this problem but as I stated at the outset, it is a ticking time bomb that must be tackled. For example, I have referred to alcohol advertising but Members will have seen the recent Coca-Cola advertising whereby one can now get Coke with one's name on the bottle. This constitutes pernicious advertising targeted at children who increasingly and regrettably lead sedentary lifestyles with less activity, sitting before televisions, playing Xbox and so on. Members must challenge this culture and must challenge the advertising that is targeted selectively at children to consume products that are not compatible with a healthy lifestyle. If I may use the term, there is much food for thought in this area and while I am not being prescriptive as to what is the best way to tackle the problem, sport Ireland should champion the cause of healthy lifestyles, with sport being a part thereof. It is true that those who participate in sport go on to be higher achievers in respect of academia and, therefore, Members should encourage children to participate.

In that context, I wish to raise one further issue. The Minister of State has rightfully received plaudits from many corners with regard to the funding for the sports capital grants.

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It might be time to consider whether that funding could be used for purposes other than capital provision, which includes new dressing rooms, playing pitches, flood lighting and so on. Is there a case, for example, for ring-fencing some of it for children from poorer backgrounds who may not be able to afford the cost of participating in certain sports? As the father of three young children, I am aware of the pressure parents are under at this time of year. As well as the usual back-to-school expenses, there are costs attached to children participating in GAA, basketball, swimming and so on. Unfortunately, some parents will not be able to afford those costs. If a portion of the sports capital allocation were ring-fenced for initiatives to facilitate access, particularly to minority sports, it could benefit a lot of children.

In fairness to GAA and soccer clubs, cost has never been a stumbling block to participation in those sports. On the other hand, in the case of swimming, for instance, access may be a problem. In rural areas, in particular, the only pool might be in a hotel which charges for admission. If schools could access facilities pertaining to minority sports by way of a fund from the Minister of State's Department or one channelled through the Department of Education and Skills, participation levels might well increase. Lest my comments be misinterpreted, the point I am making stands as a tribute to Gaelic games, rugby and soccer. However, I would guess that up to 90% of the sports capital provision goes to those three sports. The Minister of State has spoken in the past about how we can increase participation in minority sports. The suggestion I have made might offer a way forward.

I welcome the Bill and commend it to the House. I congratulate the Minister of State on his achievements in office.

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