Denis Landy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

They even bet on politics, although I do not expect the money to go back into politics. Perhaps the Minister will comment on whether revenues from the betting tax could be invested in other sports.

Credit should be given to the 500,000 adults who volunteered in Irish sports in 2013. As Senator Eamonn Coghlan noted, people volunteer to support sporting activities every day of the week. Sports also help to maintain the physical and mental well-being of our citizens, and participation rates have increased to the point at which 47% of adults participate in some type of sporting activity.

It could be doing one of the looped walks on the Galtee Mountains or elsewhere. It does not have to be a competitive sport. As the Minister said, obesity, particularly childhood obesity, is a major problem in Ireland. Everything that can be done to ensure young people are enthused and encouraged to become involved in sport should be done. According to the ESRI, 88% of children are regularly involved in sport. That brings to the fore the participation rate of children in school-organised activities. The average number of hours dedicated to sport in schools is only 37 a year, which is in stark contrast to the number in other countries such as France where 180 hours in school year are dedicated to sport. We can improve on this figure. I recognise that sport will become part of the new junior cycle, but we need to intervene at a younger age. Irish pupils spend only 4% of the school year participating in sport, while, for example, in Croatia which will soon join the European Union pupils spend 15% of their time on participation in sport. It is often said that when countries accede to the European Union, they will learn from other member states, but we could learn from Croatia.

Tax credits for families to encourage all children to become involved in sport should be considered. There is such a credit in Nova Scotia, Canada and the system operates well. The parent of any child aged up to 17 years enrolled in sport can claim a tax credit. We say sports are amateur and free, but I have a son who, unfortunately, was involved with ponies and I was nearly broke. He still wanted to ride ponies and there was no point in telling him that Daddy did not have the money for it. Participating in sport costs money. It would be positive, therefore, if the Minister could examine the introduction of a tax credit.