Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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166. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the measures his Department is taking to increase female participation in sport at grassroots level. [34819/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Female participation in sport is an important element of both the National Sports Policy 2018-2027 and the associated Sports Action Plan 2024-2027 and represents a core priority for me and my Department.

This Government is committed to a "Sport for All" approach aimed at ensuring that all persons can partake equally in sport and physical activity, regardless of gender. This commitment is reaffirmed in the Programme for Government and is also reflected in Sport Ireland's Women in Sport Policy.

The Women in Sport (WIS) funding programme, administered by Sport Ireland, was first established in 2005 and since then over €30 million has been invested through the National Governing Bodies of Sport and the Local Sports Partnerships.

This month Sport Ireland announced an investment of €4 million under the WIS Programme for 2025. This is vital funding to support sporting bodies, and my Department will continue to support programmes to increase women’s participation in all sports and to progress strategic objectives for women in sport across all areas including active participation, coaching, officiating, and leadership.

The Irish Sports Monitor (ISM) Report for 2024, shows that sport participation levels among women is at 47%, an increase of one percentage point since 2023, and the gender gap is now less than 3%.

As Minister for Sport I will continue to tackle issues to ensure that women’s sport reaches parity with its male equivalent and that females do not drop out of sport due to a lack of adequate training facilities or access to opportunities.