Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is welcome that more people are not just participating in women's sport, but also supporting it, which is important. I saw that myself in Páirc Tailteann recently when there was a men's match and a women's match one after the other, with similar crowds. That would not have been the case previously.

I have a personal commitment to this through my family. I know someone who started at the highest levels of Gaelic football 30 years ago. There is a world of difference now in terms of women's participation in sport and how they are treated by organisations. The Government is acutely conscious – and the NGBs are being reminded constantly – that there is still more to do. We are here to help and encourage, but we are also here to tell the NGBs that they have to do more, particularly in terms of their boards, or else there will be significant funding cuts to them. If we get people on the boards, we hope that this greater diversity will lead to even more positive changes and better governance.

See this speech in context