Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this legislation and congratulate the Minister of State on bringing it forward. Anyone who has listened to the debate on the Bill would be impressed by the contributions from a number of Deputies. It is clear, in terms of representation in this House, that a considerable number of people agree not only with this legislation but also with all the work that the Government and the Minister of State is doing in the area of sports, health and fitness. This includes improving aspects of our heritage and culture to facilitate more sporting activity. There is in-depth knowledge in this Parliament and I welcome that Members of Fine Gael are able to bring that knowledge through that Minister of State to influence national policy.

This Bill merges two quangos, which I welcome. On entering Government we made a commitment to reform the political system, to reduce the amount of money the State was spending and to increase the efficiency in how the money is spent. An important part of this process involves merging or abolishing quangos. We have not dealt with all of them yet but this is a process that takes time. This legislation is welcome as part of that process.

I had a conversation recently with a colleague who was knowledgeable about the doping aspects of the Bill. It is great to hear that we are regarded as a standard bearer and role model in respect of certain aspects of doping. Doping and performance enhancement has become a critical aspect of sports in the modern age. Sports have the ability to lift a nation but they also have the ability to shame a nation when doping scandals come to light. We have dealt with several such scandals in this country. It is a difficult matter which nobody likes to see. The more we can do in this area to protect our honour and integrity as a sporting country, the better.

Several speakers referred to the sports capital grants programmes. The Government has implemented a number of initiatives but few are as tangible in communities and constituencies as sports capital grant projects. Considerable moneys have been invested in a fair manner in local sporting activities around the country. This is a good example of how the Government, by giving a little support to a community, can make a big difference in improving facilities and increasing participation in particular activities and sports. The programmes also provide an important regional stimulus in certain parts of the country. I do not know if the Minister of State has costed this as part of the expenditure review underway with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform for 2015 but another sports capital grant programme would be excellent for the country. The numbers may not allow it, however, because we are not yet out of the water in terms of repairing the public finances. If there is leeway due to additional taxes or buoyancy in the economy, this is an area in which money could be spent.

We are using sports all the time to bring money into the economy. I welcome the recent announcement on the European games. We have also attracted American football games which have brought significant amounts of money to Dublin and to the rest of the country. We must continue to host these games because not only do they get Irish people interested in the sport but they also bring people to the country as tourists and show them our positive face. As we repair the public finances, we will have to find similar creative and endurable ways for people to spend money. The US football games in the Aviva has been a way of doing that and it should be encouraged. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Donohoe, and his predecessor, Deputy Varadkar, as well as the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, have been creative in this area.

We have been debating the Rugby World Cup bid for the past two years. This is another example of how we can be creative with our facilities and our love of sport in order to showcase Ireland to the world and to put on an incredibly important event. It would add an extra element to our great tradition of Rugby. We are hoping to bid for the tournament in 2023. The committee, which is chaired by Hugo McNeill, has finished its work and the Minister is now considering the matter. Considerable work remains to be done but people are very excited about the matter. By chance, I met a group of students from my old school, St. Michael's, who were visiting the Houses. I estimate that 50% of the students' questions were about the Rugby World Cup bid. The questions were not about the Dáil or what was going on in the Chamber even though they came to observe our debates. They wanted to know whether we will be hosting the tournament, which stadiums will be used and where the All Blacks would be training and playing. We should not get too excited about it because it may not happen and it is a legacy this Government would leave for the future but it would reach every corner of Irish life and its impact would be felt on all parts of the island. I look forward to hearing more about it. Perhaps there will be an opportunity to discuss it further during Question Time next week.

Deputy Mulherin touched on the idea that when we speak about sport, we are not just talking about organised team games but about activity and getting people turned on to the idea of getting out and doing something. We are seeing much more of that. Getting up in the morning or going out in the evening for a run is a means to fitness, and the park at Sandymount strand is very busy, which is fantastic. One project is being progressed, albeit too slowly, and that is the Sandycove to Sutton cycle way. That will be the longest cycling route in Europe when completed, and we are almost there, with just a small gap needing to be completed. It is a fantastic segregated cycling route mostly off the main road on the northside, and we want to see the same on the southside. One could cycle along Dublin Bay when it is finished. People will take part and it will be something to do on a Saturday, Sunday or in the evening. A leisure cycle is good for fitness and health, and there are positive aspects around that. The Minister of State might be interested in examining that, and I would be more than happy to introduce him to the campaign committee and show him some of the route. It is a fantastic project design, and although some money has been put into it by councils, it needs a bit more political support and attention to get it completed.

I have received feedback from friends who participate in sports which are less well-known, and they have told me about the attention that this Government and the Minister of State has given to smaller sport activities. I visited University College Dublin for freshers' week and I met some of the people involved with the fencing society, martial arts and shooting club. These sports do not have significant participation or cannot raise much money like the more popular sports such as football, rugby, etc. Every bit of help they get is fantastic and with the recent sports capital allocations, in my own constituency many small clubs involved with martial arts, rowing, etc. got a bit of money, which made a major difference. I spoke to members of a rowing club in Dún Laoghaire and although it received a small amount of funding from the Government, it was enough, with its own efforts, to pay for a new boat. That would dramatically change the prospects for a rowing club, and such a use would do more than an equivalent amount being given to a bigger sport or club. We should not downplay that impact.

Most people remember where they were for Katie Taylor's famous fight. I was in Kerry at the time and we made it to the pub to see the fight when she won the gold medal. One also remembers everybody trying to get to a television screen to watch Sonia O'Sullivan run in the Olympics. There are sports which do not have wide participation because they are not as popular or on television, but they have an ability to inspire the nation when people become good at them and show off the country. As a result, more people come into the sport. It is fantastic that boxing is getting funding. My niece is a big boxing fan and loves Katie Taylor because of what she did. Katie Taylor made her achievements in part because of the way she was supported not just by her community but by the little bit of Government money that went into those facilities.

As we look to next year and beyond with the sporting budget, it would be good to target smaller clubs and societies or non-traditional sports. The impact is disproportionate and with the smaller clubs, there is a better and bigger outcome than what might occur in other areas. I congratulate the Minister of State on this legislation and everything he has done to date and will continue to do. I hope we can get this Bill through quickly and get to the next bit of sporting work we must do.

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