Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Sport plays a unique role in the lives of Irish people and its value to the nation simply cannot be over-emphasised, in terms of raising our health levels, in helping to give us a sense of ourselves and in boosting our morale. Active participation in sport and physical recreation contributes enormously to the physical and mental well-being of the individual, and by extension, of the whole community.

Inactive lifestyles are widespread in Ireland and, indeed, throughout the world. The challenge now and for the foreseeable future is to extend people's years of life free from illness or disability. Sport has the potential to enrich all of our lives and everyone should recognise the benefits that physical activity can have.

Of course, physical activity can have other important benefits not just for the individual but also for society. Sport develops the personal skills of individuals. Values such as tolerance, self-discipline, team spirit and strength of character are demanded, practised and promoted. In this way, sport serves as an educational tool, both in schools and colleges and in the wider community.

Given the benefits associated with sporting activities, the Government regards expenditure on sport as important for the social and economic development of the country. These benefits arise in a wide range of areas including health and well-being, social and cultural development, education, personal development, tourism and the economy. It can also play a valuable role in tackling social exclusion and this is particularly true for young people.

Increasing the levels of participation in sport is vital to ensuring that these benefits continue and this is one of the key functions of the Irish Sports Council. The Irish Sports Council was established in 1999 and has a statutory role in the promotion, development and co-ordination of sport. It has six key functions under the Irish Sports Council Act. These include improving standards in high performance sport, increasing participation rates in sport, facilitating standards of fair play, combating doping, producing research and communicating information on sport. The council is funded by my Department and since its establishment in 1999 it has received Government funding of almost €416 million with a further €46.8 million allocated in 2011. The council has been central to developing sporting ability at the elite level, while at the same time driving participation levels in conjunction with the national governing bodies of sport, local sports partnerships, the Irish Institute of Sport, Coaching Ireland and the Olympic and Paralympic Councils.

One of the council's key functions is to increase participation rates. The Irish Sports Monitor Report 2009, which was produced by the Economic and Social Research Institute on behalf of the Irish Sports Council, deals with the measurement of adult participation in sport and physical activity in Ireland in 2009. Overall the report has good news, as it shows improvements in key measures. It shows that there were increases in the levels of physical activity in 2009, a recovery from 2008 which was badly affected by the onset of recession. The proportion of adults who actively participated in sport increased significantly between 2008 and 2009, from 30.8% to 33.5%.

The council is continuing to implement specific elements of its participation strategy, including the development and implementation of the code of ethics and code of practice for children's sport in Ireland; the Buntús Programme; the support of the national governing bodies of sport, including those of the three major field sports - GAA, FAI and IRFU; the women in sport initiative; sports inclusion development officers; and the Go for Life programme. On the high performance front, Irish Sports Council initiatives include high performance funding and performance planning; the international carding scheme; Team Ireland Golf Trust and the Irish Institute of Sport.

At its meeting on 21 June, the Government approved the strategy for developing the national sports campus, in particular the proposals for proceeding the development of facilities viz. a national indoor training arena and a partnership development strategy with the GAA, FAI, IRFU and Irish Hockey Association. It is intended to update and publish the five-year national sports facilities strategy in the coming months to prioritise areas for future investment and grant assistance at national, regional and local levels.

I am chairing a high-level co-ordinating group which is identifying opportunities for Ireland across the sports, tourism, cultural and enterprise sectors from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The biggest potential benefits around the London Games have been identified in the enterprise and tourism sectors and these are being actively pursued. Enterprise Ireland is pursuing opportunities for Irish business and the tourism agencies are working closely with a range of partners at home and overseas to increase the tourism opportunities. The cultural agencies are also developing proposals for a cultural programme around the games.

The potential to attract international athletes to train in Ireland in the lead-up to London 2012 is another issue that the co-ordinating group is looking at. A number of international teams have chosen the National Aquatic Centre as a training base which is a reflection of the calibre of the facility. My Department is working on attracting other teams to train here. A difficulty that arises in attracting teams is that the UK is offering financial help to international teams to train in the UK in the lead-up to the games. The London 2012 co-ordinating group will continue to meet in the coming year to maximise opportunities across each of the sectors.

As Minister of State with responsibility for both sport and tourism, I am determined to ensure that Ireland's position as a leading location for international sporting events is further developed and enhanced. The programme for Government includes a provision that event tourism will be prioritised to continue to bring major fairs and events to Ireland, such as the Volvo Ocean Race and Solheim Cup. Tourism is a significant export industry for Ireland, with in the region of €3 billion in foreign revenue and €1.3 billion in domestic tourism revenue earned last year. The tourism and hospitality sector employs 180,000 people. The hosting of major events, including sports events, is an important element of our overall tourism strategy. There are a number of advantages associated with encouraging sports-related tourism. First, it gives us an opportunity to show that a small country can host big events, be it the Tall Ships, Volvo Ocean Race or more recently held Solheim Cup. Ireland has shown that it can host these events in an efficient and capable manner. We also provide an additional benefit when we host such events, namely, the Irish love of social and sporting occasions. A live audience in Ireland guarantees a sense of enjoyment and atmosphere that gives any sporting event a greater impact.

Second, hosting important sporting events allows us to provide a great showcase for Ireland as a country. Many millions around the world watch big sporting events on their television screens and this provides a great opportunity for people to view a positive image of Ireland. We want people to choose Ireland as a holiday destination and the media coverage of sports tourism events helps us to put Ireland on many thousands of travel itineraries. There is also a third advantage in respect of some sports in that hosting big events in this country encourages tourists to follow in the footsteps of their heroes. This is particularly the case with golf, as men and women golfers will be inspired to play in the country where the top professionals competed for the Ryder Cup, the Irish Open or Solheim Cup.

Other types of sporting events, for example, a triathlon, which takes place against a backdrop of our natural landscapes and built heritage, are a valuable advertisement for general tourism when broadcast on overseas television. Failte Ireland continues to support the sports tourism sector under the festivals and events initiative and has allocated €3.8 million in 2011 for direct financial support to festivals and events, including sports. We look forward to the return of the Volvo Ocean Race in 2012, which on this occasion will not stop over in Galway but will have its finale there. We will also welcome the World Youth Championship sailing event to Dún Laoghaire next year.

The sport sector is a major contributor to the economy, a contribution which includes sports tourism, ticket sales, subscriptions and the cost of playing sport, together with the purchase of sports equipment and an economic value of time given by volunteers. There is also an extensive financial dividend to be obtained through the success of major sporting events, in particular those with an international dimension. Through a variety of actions and investments, Ireland is developing a reputation as a destination to play and watch sports. Stadia such as the Aviva, Croke Park and Thomond Park attract international and domestic tourists in large numbers throughout the year. The targeting of major international sporting events attracts tourists and also showcases the country in the best possible light.

The assessment of economic impact of sport in Ireland report which was prepared by Indecon international economic consultants for the Irish Sports Council last November shows that there is a significant return on Government investment and expenditure on sport in Ireland. Based on figures for 2008, it is estimated that overall Government expenditure on grants, capital investment and other sport-related expenditures amounted to €618.3 million. However, the government sector as a whole received a total of €922.4 million in revenues from taxes on sport-supported expenditures and incomes and from sports facilities. This implies a net income to the government sector arising from the sport economy amounting to €304.1 million.

For every €100 of Government expenditure, the Government receives approximately €149 in the form of taxes and other income arising from sport-related economic activity. The sport sector is also very important from an employment perspective. The Irish Sports Council, through its grant funding to the national governing bodies, supports a large number of jobs throughout the country, including approximately 1,500 jobs created through the national governing bodies of sport and the local sports partnerships. Safeguarding existing jobs and supporting job creation can only be achieved by promoting the strength and vibrancy of the sector. I am seeking at every opportunity to do just that.

Under the sports capital programme administered by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, funding is allocated towards the provision of sports facilities at national, regional and local level. It is the primary vehicle for promoting the development of sports and recreational facilities in Ireland. The programme has transformed the sporting landscape with improved facilities in virtually every village, town and city. The facilities funded range from new equipment for the smallest clubs to regional multisport centres and national centres of sporting excellence.

Over 7,500 projects providing a range of essential sports facilities have now benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocation in that time to over €743 million. These grants continue to play a pivotal role in ensuring the provision of modern, high-quality facilities that attract more people to participate in sporting activities.

In allocating this funding, special targeting and priority is given to projects in RAPID, CLÁR and local drugs taskforce areas. In the most recent round of the sports capital programme in 2008, these projects were permitted to have a lower level of minimum own funding available with 20% for projects in CLÁR areas and 10% for RAPID and local drugs taskforce areas in comparison with the normal 30% towards their project. They also received extra marks during the assessment process. In this round of the programme, successful projects under this scheme in RAPID areas also qualified for additional top-up funding of up to 30% of their sports capital programme allocation, from the then Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, in addition to their sports capital programme allocation.

Through these measures, the sports capital programme has invested over €150 million in projects in designated disadvantaged areas. In turn, top-up arrangements in RAPID and CLÁR areas have allowed further allocations of more than €22 million to be made. While no new round of the programme has been advertised since 2008, it is still active with €33 million being provided in the Estimates to fund the programme for 2011. I am looking at the option with regard to a new round of the sports capital programme, but no decision has yet been made.

In addition to local sports projects, the Government contributed over €113 million towards the redevelopment of the Croke Park stadium. With a capacity of over 82,000 Croke Park is the third largest stadium in Europe. The stadium also makes a huge contribution to the economic and cultural life of Dublin.

The Government also provided €191 million towards the total costs of €470 million for the construction of the 50,000-seat Aviva stadium. Since opening in May 2010, it has been operating at full capacity as a sports venue and as a preferred venue for conferences, events and business meetings. While the Aviva is a state-of-the-art stadium, it is also important to Dublin's economy in its role in attracting tourists to the capital for events such as the Europa League final, the Six Nations rugby internationals and high-profile concerts.

In June 2011, I made a one-off allocation of €1.25 million to the Irish Amateur Boxing Association to fund basic facilities and accommodate the growing number of female members. Each club can qualify for a maximum grant of €25,000 per club.

In July, local authorities were invited to submit applications for shovel-ready projects for sports facilities in local authority owned public areas to increase participation in sport of individuals who may not necessarily be affiliated to sports clubs. To date 60 projects have been approved for grant aid under this initiative, with allocations totalling €3.3 million.

Under the local authority swimming pool programme, administered by the Department, grant aid to a maximum of €3.8 million has been provided to local authorities towards the capital costs of new swimming pools or the refurbishment of existing pools. This is subject in both cases to the total grant not exceeding 80% of the eligible cost of the project or, in the case of projects located in disadvantaged areas, 90% of the eligible cost.

Under the programme's guidelines, there are four principal stages in a swimming pool project following the submission of a feasibility study. These, in order of progress, comprise preliminary report, contract documents, tender and construction. The Department, with its technical advisers, the Office of Public Works, evaluates each stage and local authorities cannot proceed to the next stage of a project unless prior approval issues from my Department.

Since 2000, 58 projects have been or are being dealt with under the programme, of which 46 have been completed and three have passed tender report stage. Nine other projects are at various stages of the programme. Of the 46 pools completed and opened under the current round, 14 are new pools, 21 are replacement pools and 11 are refurbishments. The 12 remaining pools at various stages in the process consist of five new, three replacements and four refurbishments. The total expenditure of €146.21 million under the programme from 2000 to September 2011 has leveraged a total investment of €412 million in respect of the pools approved grant aid. No decision has been made regarding the next round of the programme. I recently announced that a total of €4.54 million had been allocated for energy updates, water conservation and enhanced disabled access to 17 local authorities in respect of 19 pools. However, this is not a new round of the local authority swimming pool programme.

This is an historic week in Irish sport. On Tuesday and Friday, the Irish soccer team will play and, hopefully, qualify for the European Championship. The Irish rugby team will play on Saturday. This week, some of our boxers will qualify for the Olympics. Our golfers have met with success. Having so many golfers in the world's top ten is a credit to our small country. Our never say die attitude is great and we are lucky to have wonderful sports people. Sports lift the country and its economy.

I wish the soccer team the best of luck, as qualifying would give the country and the economy a great boost. I wish the rugby team the best for next Saturday. I hope it can beat our old enemy, Wales, in the semi-final, and win the final to win the world cup - what it would do for our country and our economy. I compliment our golfers on the excellent way in which they have performed. They leave a small country of 4.5 million people for America and beat the best. We should be proud of our sports people. I could go on discussing boxing, athletics and those who represent our country.

We are proud of those who participate in sport. Sport lifts everyone. I cannot forget our volunteers. This is the European year of the volunteer. What would happen to Ireland if we had none? What would happen to the GAA, soccer and rugby? If we did not have volunteers, sport would not work. On behalf of the Government and the people, I thank the volunteers.

Everywhere I go, I hear people being critical of everyone. They are known as hurlers on the ditch. We have many green fields. If those people want to get off the ditch and play a sport or volunteer, we have plenty of work for them to do.