Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and compliment him on his proactive approach to his portfolio. He seems to have done an exceptionally good job of work. The Bill before us, which proposes to merge the Irish Sports Council and the National Sports Campus Development Authority, seems like a good idea on the face of it and it deserves our support. On an occasion like this, we generally get an opportunity to do some reminiscing. In the area of sport we can all look back to the heady days of Ronnie Delaney, Dr. Pat O'Callaghan and the golden era of Irish boxing. The manner in which Eamonn Coghlan carried the flag for Ireland made us all feel so proud to be Irish. Well done to Senator Eamonn Coghlan on the great work he did over the years. He is an exceptionally fine role model for young people here in Ireland.

There is no doubt that one has to support this Bill, although some things need to be watched. We are not sure whether it will mean a saving but that will become evident as time goes on. What is more important is that it will be effective. The Minister of State has been helpful in outlining the details of the sports capital programme. He is quite right to say that it has transformed Irish sport, as we have all seen at community level when representations are made to us.

Local communities, including GAA, soccer and athletic clubs, have had to do so much of the work themselves to prove their bona fides. They were then assisted by the State and it was often that assistance which made possible the hundreds if not thousands of projects throughout the country. I expect there will be more good news and I am sure the Minister of State will avail of another opportunity to announce it in due course.

It is also good to hear about major projects because sport is multifaceted. On the one hand we are talking about sport at community level, while on the other hand we are supporting elite sportsmen and women. There is a vast sporting landscape and the Minister of State has built a bridge between the community and national levels in this respect.

No one has to reiterate the importance of sport to people's health and mental well-being. We are all exceptionally well aware of that. That is one of the reasons why 2.1 million people participate in sports each year. It is a huge number. Not only does it prevent anti-social behaviour, it is also an antidote to it. When young people are involved in sports, it makes a difference. Some 800,000 young people under the age of 18 are involved in sports. While they are so engaged, they have an exceptionally good chance of avoiding some of the unfortunate pitfalls which exist for today's youth.

There is also an economic side to this. In excess of 500,000 volunteers are involved in sport and a value of €350 million has been put on their work. While that is a huge figure, I would be more inclined to concentrate on the number of volunteers rather than the money itself. We should bear in mind that sport contributes in the region of €1.8 billion to GDP annually, which is a major sum.

We have heard so much about banks, the recession and shares that went wrong. It has been shown, however, that if the Government invests €100 in sport, it will get a return of €149. That is a pretty good investment at the best of times and it is an economic argument for supporting sport.

One can never underestimate the positive effect on tourism of Irish sportspeople who are internationally successful, including the Olympic boxer, Katie Taylor. To use a boxing term, as a small country we punch above our weight in every sense of the word when it comes to sport. It is part of the tenacious Irish character to accept a challenge. In addition, communities embrace sport and support it. As the Minister of State has shown today, the State is 100% behind that. That is why we enjoy success in sport, although Ireland is a small country which often does not have sports facilities on a par with America. Some of our athletes have had to go to America to avail of the fine polishing there.

We should not regard it as being over-ambitious that the more we provide these facilities ourselves, the better it will be for our athletes. We should not forget the major contribution of schools to sport. I am an ex-Christian Brothers boy who looks back fondly at what they did, particularly for athletics, hurling and football. They always had their own pitches, sports was built into the curriculum, and time was always found to pursue sporting activities. While I am only referring to one school, all the schools in this country have made a major contribution to sport.

We should also acknowledge the work of broadcasters. Over the years, RTE radio and television have made an important contribution to sport. Our successful sports men and women should continue to be used as role models. I always find the idea of drinks companies sponsoring sport to be a major contradiction. We cannot say that alcohol helps the development of a sports environment in any way. That debate is for another day, however. The most important thing is how we can create, enhance and sustain a partnership between the State, sporting bodies and local communities. I wish the Minister of State well in his future work in that regard.