Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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68. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the steps his Department is taking to encourage the over 60s to participate in sport. [64541/25]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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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, age, disability, or social-economic status, or membership of any minority group.

Age & Opportunity is the?national?organisation that works to empower people to reach their full potential as they age. One of its goals is to facilitate opportunities for sport and physical activity for older people. To support this goal, Sport Ireland, which is the statutory body for the development of sport, allocated Age & Opportunity €630,000 in core funding in 2025.

The Age & Opportunity Active National Grant Scheme provides significant funding for sport and physical activity amongst older persons. More than than €8 million has been distributed though the scheme since its inception and this year it is providing €300,000 to support sport and physical activities run by 988 groups and organisations. The scheme, a combined initiative by Age & Opportunity and Sport Ireland, funds diverse activities nationwide including pickleball, kurling, tai chi and aqua aerobics.

Sport Ireland also allocates funding to its network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) operating across Ireland. These LSPs undertake a wide range of actions with the aim of increasing sport and physical activity participation levels in their local communities.

In particular, the LSPs target vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in society, including older adults. In 2025, the LSP network received €11,945,000 in core funding. LSPs deliver a suite of programmes for older adults across the country through walking programmes, exercise classes, dance classes and taster sessions for various sports

LSPs provide funding through club development grants each year to support clubs with a focus on a number of target groups, older adults being one. This funding supports clubs to develop programmes and specific participation and volunteering opportunities to engage older adults.

All 29 LSPs have a dedicated Sports Inclusion Disability Officer supporting people with disabilities to get more active. This role incorporates a lot of work with older adults engaging in programmes such as chair yoga, tea dances, and chair aerobics.

Tony McCormack (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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69. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the measures his Department is taking to increase youth participation in sport, particularly in disadvantaged areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64110/25]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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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, age, disability, or socio-economic status, or membership of any minority group.

Sport Ireland's network of Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) plays a crucial role in implementing the National Sports Policy and increasing participation levels in sport and physical activity particularly in underrepresented groups. The LSPs deliver targeted programmes to range of cohorts including young persons, the unemployed and those living in disadvantaged communities.

In 2025, the LSP network received €11,945,000 in core funding and this was supplemented by additional investment from other funding streams, including Dormant Accounts Funding (DAF) and the European Social Fund (ESF+) Programme.

Through DAF, LSPs can connect national funding priorities with local community needs, ensuring funding reaches the groups, clubs and people that need it most. Funding totaling €1.32 million was allocated in 2025 to support 29 existing Community Sports and Physical Activity Hubs along with funding of four new Hubs. Led by LSPs, the Hubs will promote local engagement in sport and physical activity to assist disadvantaged areas. An additional €280,000 will go to the Urban Outdoor Adventure Initiatives, a fund that aims to provide outdoor adventure sports opportunities for disadvantaged communities and at-risk youth.

Sport Ireland has successfully applied to the European Social Fund (ESF+) Programme 2021-2027 and has been awarded €11 million for implementation of a social innovation and inclusion programme over the lifetime of the Programme. The ESF+ funding has enabled Sport Ireland to establish the Sport4Empowerment (S4E) Programme which aims to use sport and physical activity as tool for social inclusion and empowerment. S4E targets four population cohorts, including youth at risk and persons from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Programme will see the phased employment of ESF+ Social Innovation in Sport Officers in each of the 29 LSPs. The Officers will be responsible for the piloting and implementation of range of new targeted programmes which aim to enhance the wellbeing, education, and economic prospects of participants.