Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and compliment him on his outstanding stewardship in the Department. If we consider sport under the regime of this Minister of State, we can see that every key performance indicator has increased, with positivity and leadership shown in the Department. This goes from the elite sporting athlete to people who are less active. As Deputy Eoghan Murphy rightly stated, with the sports capital programme the Minister of State attempted, successfully, to assist sporting bodies, from the biggest to the smallest, throughout the country, and I compliment him on that.

This Bill is part of the Government's ongoing implementation of public sector reform. When the Government came to power, it set out how it wanted to change and reform the public sector, with clear plans regarding the streamlining and delivery of public services and reduction of agencies. This Bill is concerned with that effort. I am pleased the Minister of State has put this Bill before the House to implement reform in the area of sports policy. The Bill will establish a new body, Sport Ireland, a great name, to replace through merger the Irish Sports Council and the National Sports Campus Development Authority. I pay tribute to Mr. John Treacy of the council for the work he has done. Those of us who grew up in the 1980s remember the passion and pride he brought from the racecourse in Limerick to the Los Angeles Olympics, and he is doing the same thing in his current role.

Both of these bodies have been excellent at providing essential services for sport in Ireland, but this change allows the potential for more efficient delivery of these services. When the Bill is enacted, a more streamlined organisation will emerge for the development of sport and implementation of sports policy, which is critical. I know the Minister of State has great plans in this regard, and I hope we will see further strategic thinking regarding elite sportspersons and sporting bodies, particularly on the international stage. It will bring responsibility for sports under a single agency.

Deputy Murphy referred to the anti-doping policy which will become part of the provisions of the Bill, which we welcome. Any of us involved with sport at any level is cognisant that an anti-doping programme, with the Irish anti-doping rules underpinning the programme, is critical in the development of Irish sport. It makes it clear on all levels that our national policy prioritises a sport that is clean and that participation in sport must be clean. Placing our anti-doping policy on a statutory footing ensures that probity and the integrity of Irish sport and its athletes will be a central element. We already have a very successful anti-doping programme and last year, 868 tests were carried out across 32 sports. This shows we are serious about the process, that the programme is successful and that it can be even more robust. Sport Ireland will be a national anti-doping organisation for the State, with its functions and obligations set out under the anti-doping code and the UNESCO anti-doping convention. Anti-doping rules will be quite clear.

It is important that those involved with sport, particularly our governing bodies at a national level, place an obligation on staff, coaches and trainers to comply with national anti-doping rules. It is a heavy burden but I know from being involved as a chairperson in my club that we must recognise it as important work, because we need a strong, single and coherent message on doping and taking illegal drugs. There must be serious sanctions, including loss of funding. Many of our international athletes have spoken out against doping in sport, with some even calling for increased sanctions. I hope that as this provision becomes part of legislation, it will be welcomed across the sporting fraternity. It would be ideal if all countries placed similar obligations on athletes, but all we can do as a nation is lead by example, and I hope we can encourage other countries to take similar measures.

Next Thursday, the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children, which I chair, is beginning an important piece of work dealing with concussion in sport. This is not an issue that just affects sporting people on television or elite athletes. It affects everybody who participates in physical activity. Under the Minister of State's tenure, we have seen a very heavy emphasis on physical activity, whether it is cycling or walking. For once we have seen a joined-up approach between tourism and sport in the development of a tourism product that attracts people to the country. I hope the Minister of State, through his good offices, will persuade local authorities in some parts of the country which should be playing a more significant role to join the movement by promoting active tourism and giving people an opportunity to visit the country. In my area of Cork, the different bodies could do more to promote walking, cycling and other physical activity.

The issue of concussion in sport is as relevant to the school yard, the recreational walker, the five-a-side player on a Thursday night or the club junior hurler or footballer as it is to the elite athlete. Concussion can have a severe health consequence.

Head injury is potentially life-threatening and can impact severely on people's quality of life. The committee will examine the issue, not to admonish people, but to come up with a uniform approach to understanding and educating people about concussion in sport. The hearings will provide an opportunity to explore the treatment policy with the governing bodies along with leading medical expertise and practitioners. I hope that as a consequence of bringing medical experts in to investigate the condition and treatment for it, we will get a better understanding of it and discuss its impact with players' advocacy groups and sporting groups. Sporting organisations are doing a lot of work on the matter. We need to put in place best practice policies for the long-term welfare of all involved in sport.

Sport is not just for the elite players who played in Croke Park last Sunday or who play in the Aviva Stadium. It involves all the people who take to the fields and the courts, indoor and outdoor every day of the week. Sports concerns the health and well-being of our nation. It does not have to be high intensity activity. It is a question of participation in physical activity. The most important aspect of sport policy is encouraging wider participation that will have personal and societal benefit for the nation. I very much welcome the decision of the former Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly to set up the Healthy Ireland Council and I welcome the appointment of the former Secretary General of the Department of Health to a role in supporting the council.

I pay tribute to the Cork sports partnership, which makes great efforts to encourage participation, organising weekly 5 km runs and park runs in Macroom, Clonakilty and Cork city which have been immensely successful. I hope it will involve areas such as Douglas, Carrigaline, Mahon, Blackrock and Bishopstown in its programme. Last June it ran a very successful Cork bike week which was aimed at encouraging lifelong participation in physical activity. All these events are important to communities as they continue the efforts of all involved in team sports and encourage people to participate in Cork sports week. Partnership means encouraging people and working together. The Government, local authorities, the education and training boards, ETBs, and the sports partnership programmes must increase physical activity in a safe recreational environment.

Participation in sport is not just a matter of competition but of encouraging participation for the sake of health and well-being. If we can focus on that and encourage people to remain active we will reduce and tackle obesity, diabetes and heart disease, which have cost the nation billions of euros. I welcome the Bill, commend the Minister of State's work and his leadership role, and hope the legislation will be passed as quickly as possible.

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