Sports Organisations
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-20
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Robert O'Donoghue (LAB), Dublin Fingal West

Given the increasing and well-evidenced recognition of abuse, coercive control and harassment experienced by adults across sporting environments, not only within elite levels of sports but within community clubs and local clubs, does the Minister of State accept that the continued absence of a mandatory adult safeguarding policy constitutes a serious gap in governance, accountability and participant protection? In light of the clear duty of care owed to all participants, how can the Minister for State justify the reliance on voluntary and inconsistent safeguarding measures, particularly where power imbalances, dependency and vulnerability are known risks? Concrete steps need to be taken to develop a comprehensive national framework for adult safeguarding in sport. It would be great if the Minister of State could outline a clear timeline for the introduction and implementation of mandatory safeguarding standards for adults across all sporting bodies. He mentioned guidelines. Is there anything more concrete on a timeline?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-20/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:31+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-20