Dáil debates

Thursday, 11 June 2020

Covid-19 (Sport): Statements

 

9:50 pm

Photo of Brendan GriffinBrendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for affording the Minister and me an opportunity to respond to his questions. We know there are some clubs that have experienced severe financial difficulty. Some can absorb that and survive. Some are in danger of going under. That is the real concern. The Department is working with its partners. We are examining the various options and I am in close contact with the Federation of Irish Sport and individual CEOs. I would like to see some sort of resilience fund that could be administered by Sport Ireland, perhaps through the national governing bodies. Where there are hardship cases, the clubs in question would benefit from the fund and we would get the money to where it is needed most as quickly as possible. We are working on that. We are acutely aware of the severe challenges being faced.

Last Friday's announcement will be useful in terms of income streams for many clubs with Cúl Camps coming back, for example, in GAA circles. Other summer camps are coming back also. We know that will provide only a small amount of relief. We have also engaged with insurance companies to ensure there will be cash refunds in respect of the elements that were covered during the lockdown where there was no exposure to liability. The Minister and I met Insurance Ireland and we got a guarantee that that money will be returned in cash as would elements of the premiums that relate to those parts of the cover.

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