Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The KDUL grant has been brought to the Department's attention. The grant was fully drawn down and the Department is not aware of any evidence to suggest it has been used for any purpose other than that intended, nor is there any evidence of non-compliance with the terms and conditions of the programme in respect of the grant or on the part of the grantee. I will respond to the Deputy directly with more detail on the issue.

I think we are all agreed on the massive importance of this sports capital funding. The funding last year was on an unprecedented scale, reaching over 3,000 clubs. In the management of that, the Department is committed to having appropriate checks and balances in place to make sure any grants awarded are spent as intended. I outlined in my initial reply the checks and balances in place with regard to that.

The Department has also recently set up a capital inspection unit. As part of its work, the unit will develop a formal capital inspection process that covers departmental capital grants and departmental capital expenditure. The unit is working to design and implement a risk-based capital inspection programme to cover an appropriate percentage and volume of capital grants and expenditure, including both the community sport facilities fund and the large-scale sport infrastructure fund. This inspection programme will be complementary to the post-completion check already carried out by the sports capital programmes unit.

I am satisfied that the robustness of controls in place is adequate, and that those controls comply with the relevant Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform circulars and represent an appropriate balance between the need to have accountability in how public money is disbursed and the need to advance as many worthwhile sports projects as possible.

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