Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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237. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will consider requests by a club (details supplied) to allow underage grassroots football matches to be played, considering it has been able to engage in such matches since early October; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41473/20]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The Framework for Restrictive Measures 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 COVID-19. The Government’s strategy, in line with the public health advice, is disease suppression. COVID-19 spreads when individuals and groups come into close contact with one another, enabling the virus to move from one person to another. The risk of infection spread is greater in certain environments than others e.g. uncontrolled environments, crowded and noisy places, indoor environments, and poorly ventilated spaces.

In Levels, 3, 4 and 5 of the Government's Resilience and Recovery Plan, sporting competitions and events - indoors or outdoors - are not permitted for any age cohort except for defined exempted athletes and teams, as set out in the public health regulations. Only outdoor, non-contact training is currently permitted under Level 3 in pods of up to 15.

Accordingly, while the proposal by the Deputy for underage grassroots football matches would not be permitted in the current Level 3 restrictions, engagement with the sport sector is ongoing. I am committed to ensuring the earliest possible safe return to play for both underage and adult football. To that end I have recently written to all National Governing Bodies, including the FAI, seeking written submissions and all available evidence and data for the purposes of informing the development of tailored proposals and approaches for future mitigation measures. It is my objective that such submissions would enable the Government to review and potentially adapt the suite of public health measures currently applying to sport and exercise activities.