Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Gannon for tabling the issue. It is very important. Fantastic work is going on in football clubs throughout the country. The inclusion aspect is significant and I know this from the local football club in Kilkenny. Any decision, particularly with regard to the leasing of property by Dublin City Council, is entirely a matter for the local authority in the first instance. With regard to Government support for new sport facilities, the sports capital and equipment programme, SCEP, as administered by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. More than 13,000 projects have now benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocation in that time to more than €1.15 billion.

We can all agree that the SCEP has transformed the sporting landscape with improved sports facilities in every town and village in the country. The programme for Government commits to continuing the SCEP and to targeting the investment in disadvantaged areas. I have the figures for Alfie Byrne Park and I will provide them to Deputy Gannon after we conclude the debate. As well as being open to individual sports clubs, applications are also accepted from local authorities. I understand that Dublin City Council has previously received significant grant funding for sports facilities projects in the vicinity of Alfie Byrne Road, including all-weather pitches used by the clubs in question.

Belvedere Football Club also received grant allocation for sports equipment under the programme. With regard to larger projects, the 2018 national sports policy provided for the establishment of a new large scale sport infrastructure fund, LSSIF. The first LSSIF allocations were announced in January 2020 and, to date, approximately €86.4 million has been allocated to 33 projects, including a number of local authority-led projects.

In relation to capital assistance towards a new sports facility at Alfie Byrne Park, it will be open to Dublin City Council to make a future application under either the sports capital and equipment programme, SCEP, or the LSSIF. If the clubs referred to by the Deputy secure a lease on the property, it will be open to them to apply directly for SCEP funding. Any application will be considered on its merits, based on the relevant scoring system for the relevant round of the SCEP or LSSIF. As the Deputy will be aware, the schemes favour projects that will increase participation and share facilities among a number of sports and-or clubs, and priority is always given to applications from disadvantaged areas.

With regard to the timing of the next round of the SCEP, I know a full review of the 2020 round of the SCEP was published last week and the recommendations arising from the review will be reflected in the next round of the programme. I understand the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media is now working on drafting the new “Guide to Making an Application” for the SCEP and engagement is ongoing with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform in relation to opening the next cycle of the SCEP.

In regard to the LSSIF, the first allocations were announced by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media just prior to the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic obviously gave rise to significant financial challenges for all grantees, with many of them having to reprioritise their own expenditure plans. In more recent times, the high level of construction inflation has also presented considerable challenges for grantees. In view of these issues, it was considered timely to review progress on all projects and I understand meetings with all grantees have taken place. It is encouraging that, based on these discussions with grantees, it is estimated that more than half of the 33 projects should be in a position to draw down funding this year. While this progress is welcome, these discussions also confirm that some projects in receipt of LSSIF grants may not proceed in the short to medium term.

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