Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I sincerely thank the Deputy for raising the matter. What she said about sport being about equality is everything we have sought to negotiate in the programme for Government. Our overall vision for women in sport is one where women have an equal opportunity to achieve their full potential, while enjoying a lifelong involvement in sport. With specific regard to the ladies games, there has been commentary recently on State funding disparity and the events last weekend surrounding the ladies football semi-final between Cork and Galway.

In relation to the semi-final, it goes without saying that the situation that arose was both disappointing and regrettable. Clearly, the State has no role or involvement in venue and fixture arrangements for any sport, but serious lessons need to be learned from what the Deputy has outlined and to prevent a recurrence. Sporting organisations are operating in specific difficulties and this has to be taken into account. As Minister of State with responsibility for sport, I agree with what the Deputy has said. We need to encourage closer collaboration and co-operation between all of the associations in the Gaelic games family and what happened on Sunday should not happen again.

In relation to State funding, I am committed to narrowing and eliminating the current funding gap between the Women's Gaelic Players Association and the Gaelic Players Association. Future Government decisions regarding these player support schemes will also be informed by the outcome of an independent review of these schemes commissioned by Sport Ireland that is under way. There is, in my view, a strong case for the development of a common funding approach and framework to guide an equitable distribution of such funding in the future. I have already discussed this matter with Sport Ireland and I am committed to ensuring that it is progressed in the short term in tandem with the review. We have to have equality, as the Deputy referenced.

A fundamental aim of the Government's National Sports Policy 2018-2027 is to increase the levels of participation in sport and physical activity across the population, with a specific focus on less represented groups, including women and girls. Addressing women's participation at all levels in sport is a key element of the national sports policy. A lot of work is happening and good progress is being made, not just in terms of increasing participation by women and girls but in the important areas of leadership and management roles in sport. It is imperative to make quick progress towards a much greater gender balance on the boards of national governing bodies, for example, and this is not happening quickly enough. We need to put everything on the table, including, for example, the possibility of gender quotas.

I acknowledge the work that is being done by the national governing bodies and the network of local sports partnerships in developing programmes and contributing to the increase in the number of women and girls taking part in sport. The number of women participating in sport in Ireland is continuing to grow and, at 3.4%, the gender gap in sports participation is narrower now than at any point over the past ten years. This is progress and the Government is determined to see that gap eliminated altogether.

The women in sport programme was established in 2005 and to date more than €20 million has been invested through the national governing bodies of sport and the network of local sports partnerships around the country. A key aim of the women in sport investment programme is to have equal participation between males and females in sport. As part of Sport Ireland's new women in sport policy, which was launched last year, a revised women in sport investment programme was put in place, involving the provision of funding to national governing bodies on a multiannual basis. A total of €3 million was invested over 2019 and 2020, doubling the previous funding for the women in sport programme. A further €265,000 was invested in the local sports partnerships under the women in sport programme.

Sport Ireland will reopen applications under the programme in 2021 with the intention of issuing a second cycle of multiannual funding. All national governing bodies will have an opportunity to apply for funding under the women in sport programme.

As I mentioned, Sport Ireland launched its policy in 2019. It is the express commitment of Sport Ireland and the Government that we build on the work that has been undertaken and address the funding challenges referenced by the Deputy, and the organisational challenges in Gaelic games and what the Deputy has outlined.

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