Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to acknowledge the role of the Leas-Chathaoirleach in remembering our flag and the super work he has done in that regard over the years. It is critically important that people understand the background to it.

I was at the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, BIPA, yesterday. It was a special meeting to commemorate the Good Friday Agreement and there was a lot of positivity and hope for the future at it. I hope that the deliberations the parties are engaging in will not take too long and that they will conclude in a positive way.

Last Friday I was in the Leas-Chathaoirleach’s county of Kerry and I visited what will be Disability Sport Ireland, which is headquartered in a magnificent building at the Munster Technological University in Tralee. I would like a debate on the funding of disability sports. I know this will be close to the Acting Leader's heart. We have some fantastic people with disabilities involved in sports and the Paralympics do enormously good work, as do the Special Olympics. There are tens of thousands of people with disabilities who are not paralympians or elite athletes and who would not benefit from the Special Olympics. These people should and can live an active and healthy lifestyle by being involved in sports. It is my contention that disability sport is badly funded in this country. The elite and special sides of it are funded but when it comes to disability sports, being active, encouraging people to be active and encouraging sports clubs and leisure centres around the country to be active, accessible and inclusive, we have a long way to go. We also have a long way to go when it comes to Government funding. Sports capital grants should only be given to clubs that can demonstrate that their facilities are accessible. Irrespective of what the grant is for, they should be able to sign a charter or statement setting out not just that their facilities are physically accessible to people with disabilities, but also that people with disabilities are welcome to participate in a full and active way in the sport. At some stage it would be lovely to have a debate on people with disabilities being active, included and involved in sports.