Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the serious issue of Ballyfermot Sports Complex Limited on Gurteen Road and of thousands of other complexes like it. The complex is accessed by myriad groups, schools, youth clubs and many local City of Dublin Education and Training Board, CDETB, projects. It has always been a busy hub in the context of serving the community, with 73,000 visits per year pre Covid-19. It is now at a loss of over €80,000 of earned income because of the shutdown due to public health measures. The complex is excluded from the Covid restrictions support scheme, CRSS, because it does not pay commercial rates or VAT. Sport Ireland also does not have funding to allocate to it. The only funding available to leisure centres is through the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media is for those centres with swimming pools. The complex on Gurteen Road does not have a swimming pool. Like other businesses of similar character, it will go under if it does not get financial support. Can the Government look at these facilities and either bring in a CRSS-type system under which they would be excluded from paying VAT and necessary commercial rates or a special funding scheme for them?

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