Chris Andrews (Dublin Bay South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The soaring cost of living and the rising inflation rate are showing no let-up, pushing ordinary working families to the pin of their collar. The impact is far-reaching, and it is not just in regard to food and household bills that families are feeling the pressure. The cost-of-living crisis is having an impact on the health and well-being of children throughout the State. I have never had so many parents call me to outline the struggles they face to cover the costs of their children's sporting activities. Week in, week out, parents make more and more sacrifices to provide for their children. The cost of club fees, summer camps, swimming lessons and new boots and gear is adding to the pressure on households. In the past, children used to go and play football in a field and come back when the tea was ready, but nowadays there is much more structure around it. The cost of these camps is significant and it all adds up. Even a one-week camp is significant, at €200 per child. Children are feeling the brunt of this. Sport contributes to good health and well-being, and for children, that cannot continue to be taken for granted.

We need to increase investment in sports. Ireland has been lagging behind our European peers for too long. Our EU peer group invests on average almost three times as much as we do on sport and recreation. We urgently need to see real-time investment in sport and recreational facilities throughout the State. Almost €90 million in funding has been allocated through the large-scale sport infrastructure fund for projects, which is welcome, but barely a fraction of this funding has been drawn down. Because of the rising costs of building, many of these sports facilities will struggle to reach completion. The sporting community needs to see the Government step in and provide increased support where needed. The costs of not investing in sports participation or increasing the levels of physical activity far outweigh the initial costs. Physical inactivity has been estimated to cost the health budget €1.5 billion each year and is responsible for an estimated 14% of all mortality in Ireland. The benefits of sports and recreation do not stop with health and well-being. Research by the Federation of Irish Sport has shown that for every €100 invested in sport by the Government, the Exchequer receives back €195 through taxes on sports-supported expenditures and incomes. We should not look at sports and recreation as a cost but rather as an investment with far-reaching yields.

On a separate issue, Debra Ireland, an advocacy group for people living with butterfly skin, or EB, made a presentation last week. Emma Fogarty, who lives with EB, and the parent of someone living with EB made a powerful presentation. It was difficult to hear about the impact the condition has. Their ask for the budget, at less than €1 million, would provide for nursing treatment, outreach treatment and mental health supports. In the context of this huge budget, their ask is very small, yet it would have a significant impact on the quality of their lives. As anybody who is familiar with EB will know, it is very difficult. One girl who just turned 18, Claudia, is an inspiration to young people. She is about to start on a make-up course in college. The condition is devastating, not just for Claudia or Emma but for their entire families and the relationship between husband and wife, yet the State is not willing to intervene and give the resources this family and all the families who have children with EB need to ensure their lives will be made somewhat easier. I beseech the Minister of State to consider them and take them into account, when the budget is being prepared, in order that Debra Ireland will have increased supports to alleviate the daily pain these families are going through.

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