John Gilroy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I rise to support Senator MacSharry's call to invite a Minister or Minister of State to the Chamber for a full debate on the issues he is raising. The Minister of State, Deputy Ring, is probably the best Minister of State responsible for sport that we have had in the country. He is very passionate and knows what he is on about. The Minister of State would be very interested in that debate.

The state of some our sports in the country leaves much to be desired sometimes, and we can see this from recent results of our national soccer team. I am involved at a grassroots level in coaching and sports administration and I can see at first hand the benefits of a small investment. Elite sports form an important element of the issue but to bring forward elite athletes, the investment must be made at a grassroots level. I support Senator MacSharry's call to ask the Minister of State to the Chamber.