Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Does the Minister of State find it acceptable that the head of the FAI is apparently on a salary of €360,000 yet failed to engage and did not want to engage at all with representatives of the women players for a number of years? The Minister of State is saying it is great that it was sorted out. Is there not some responsibility on him as Minister of State to call the FAI to account for its treatment of these players over a long period of time? They should not have had to go public. They should not have had to do what they did. It obviously took a huge amount of work. It did not just happen with the press conference. They should not have had to threaten to go on strike. It validates the power of withdrawing labour and the reason why people resort to it. Does the Minister of State not think the FAI has to be called to account for its finances in general? There have been ongoing issues with what seems to be first class travel by the top executives while the players are stuck in economy class. It also happened with the men's team but obviously it would be even worse for the women's team.

There are a number of broader issues here. We know there is gender inequality in sport. It is massive. My daughter has often asked me why they never show women playing sport on television. How is it possible to encourage daughters to take part in sport when they see they are not valued? RTE's director general mooted the idea of doubling the TV licence as something she would like to do. We see very few women in TV coverage generally but even fewer in sport. Does the Minister of State have any concerns about that? Will he propose anything?

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