Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach agus le baill an choiste. Tá áthas orm an deis seo a bheith agam iad a chur ar an eolas maidir leis an airgead breise atá curtha ar fáil ag an Rialtas don Roinn seo. The Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, has allocated additional capital funding of €5.5 million for subhead D5 to allow Sport Ireland to continue to progress design and development work on key projects, including the velodrome, the badminton centre and cricket facilities, and to advance these projects to a shovel-ready position in anticipation of capital funding becoming available in the short term to allow construction to commence. The projects form part of a new master plan for the development of the Sport Ireland Campus, which was approved by the Government in November 2022. The Minister intends that the funding to be provided will also allow Sport Ireland to ensure that necessary maintenance and upgrade works to existing facilities at the campus are progressed.

The additional €9 million in capital funding that I have allocated, with the Minister, is for the sports capital and equipment programme. This will provide for a surge in applicants for funding, arising primarily from the 2020 SCEP round. The 2020 round received the highest number of applications ever, with over 3,100 applications submitted, representing an increase of 33% on the 2018 round. The Covid-19 pandemic had a major impact on the finances of many clubs, with fundraising opportunities seriously curtailed in 2020 and 2021. Furthermore, construction inflation has meant that the cost of many projects will have increased significantly since the applications were made. In awarding significant allocations under the 2020 round of the programme, grantees have been able to progress their projects apace and that is reflected in the projected rate of drawdown from the subhead.

These additional funding allocations arise on foot of savings elsewhere across the Department’s Vote, specifically within the tourism programme area and within subhead D4, the local authority swimming pool programme and subhead D7, the large scale sport infrastructure fund, LSSIF. The savings in the D4 subhead mainly arise from a delay in the drawdown of funding by the last remaining grantee of the local authority swimming pool programme. Further applications for swimming pool funding will fall to be considered under the large scale sport infrastructure fund.

The savings under the large scale sport infrastructure fund, the D7 subhead, relate to a much slower than anticipated drawdown of funds by grantees under the fund, which I have outlined over the course of the year. A key factor in this has been the high level of construction inflation, which has presented considerable challenges for LSSIF grantees. In light of drawdown challenges and following engagement with the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, his Department and his officials, the Department recently wrote to all LSSIF grantees inviting them to apply for additional support. To be considered for additional funding, grantees were advised that the key elements of the project should remain as set out in the original application and that priority would be given to those that provide evidence-based documentation to support their applications.

Further allocations to existing LSSIF grantees are being considered and will be announced in the coming weeks, which will enable LSSIF projects to progress significantly next year. This additional funding is designed to get these projects off the ground. The proposed redistribution of funding will bolster the sport sector and provide additional opportunities for individual athletes, clubs and communities, at both local and national levels, something which I know is close to the hearts of many of those here today.