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

I was just coming to that. I congratulate the Minister on his Bill. I was intending to congratulate him last. Work-life balance is important. In that context, sports facilities are also important. Sport affects our emotional, physical and mental health. We have for decades under-invested in sports and sports facilities. We need to ensure those sports facilities are invested in. The €35 million the Government has allocated for the energy costs clubs will face is important and welcome. However, that payment needs to be rolled out as a matter of urgency. Clubs such as Cambridge FC do not have the space they need to train and improve their players. There is a lack of facilities in neighbourhoods such as Kevin Street. There are no recreational facilities for the public to access in that area. Such facilities are very limited. The technological university property is up for sale and that is something we should be considering in order to ensure a proper publicly accessible recreation centre in the community.

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