Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The programme for Government sets out a target for overall participation in sport to reach at least 60% of the population by 2027. It has key commitments such as promoting the value of physical activity as part of everyday life, adopting a lifelong perspective underpinned by physical literacy and placing a strong emphasis on swimming, cycling, walking and running, which are especially suitable for all generations, as the Deputy said. Commitments also include working with the local sports partnerships to ensure a greater roll-out of successful initiatives and targeted resources programmes which seek to address inequalities in sports participation. What I really see in these two funds is a positive step to achieving all of that and everything the Deputy has said. In order to reach those programme for Government targets, it is necessary to pursue the twin-pronged approach of maintaining existing capital commitments while also being innovative and thinking outside the box on how we can get everybody active across the board.

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