Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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62. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the pathway to a return to non-elite sport for children and adults; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36658/20]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The pathway to a return to non-elite sport for children and adults is contingent and dependent on the progression of the virus in the period ahead. The Living with COVID-19 Framework for Restrictive Measures, published in mid-September, sets out the approach that the Government intends to take in the management of the pandemic over the period to mid-2021.  It is a risk management strategy designed to allow individuals, families, businesses and services better understand, anticipate and prepare for the measures Government might introduce to stop escalation of the transmission of the disease. The Government’s strategy, in line with the public health advice, is disease suppression.

Given the current epidemiological situation with high incidence of disease, widespread community transmission, and considerable numbers of hospitalisations and deaths, it has been necessary to put in place very significant restrictions to arrest the current trajectory of the disease and break transmission chains. This means asking people to stay at home and eliminating as much activity and contacts as is possible to ensure that opportunities for the virus to transmit are minimised, while allowing essential activities to continue. Unfortunately, this means minimising discretionary activities, including non-elite sporting activity by children and adults. It is noteworthy in that context however that sports training activity by children under the age of 18 is permitted in highly controlled settings under the current Level 5 restrictions. 

While it is encouraging to note that COVID-19 data indicates improvements across a range of indicators, which gives us hope that the epidemiological situation is once again coming under control, it is too early at this point to consider the easing of restrictions.  The suite of measures to be applied after the current period of restrictions, including for the sport sector, will be decided by Government on the basis of the prevailing public health situation and in the context of the Framework published in September.