Dáil debates

Wednesday, 30 May 2018

Topical Issue Debate

Sports Capital Programme

1:55 pm

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for giving me the opportunity to raise this important issue. The Canon Hayes Recreation Centre in Tipperary town is struggling to stay open. The centre has been a vital part of this, and the wider, community for more than 30 years. It has been a tremendous community resource and a monumental success for the development of sport and recreation in this area. The Canon Hayes national sports awards are world renowned. I compliment the management and staff of the centre on the job they do.

Major challenges now exist to meet overheads, such as insurance, which is in excess of €30,000 per annum, light and heat, which is in excess of €30,000 per annum, and the maintenance costs on a now 30 year old building. It is worth noting that when the centre was built, the three excellent secondary schools in the town relinquished their entitlement to the provision of duplicate facilities, such as the provision of a main hall or a gym in their schools.

The centre is now struggling and it has applied for several grants, both correctly and very professionally. It met the Tipperary Leader company and county council officials and was advised to submit a joint application under the county council recreation scheme and the South Tipperary Development Company. However, the county council let it down. The proposal was to upgrade the all-weather pitches with a new surface at a cost of €200,000.

The proposal included a new surface and the cost came to €200,000. A long process ensued to establish how the project could be funded. It was agreed to look at a co-funding project with South Tipperary Development Company and the community facilities branch of Tipperary County Council. On the advice of county council officials who were apprised of all the plans, the committee was advised to apply for a grant of €40,000 and a maximum grant of €150,000 from South Tipperary Development Company. The committee would have had to provide the remaining €10,000, which it had no problem in doing. However, those involved were completely disheartened to learn that the application for the county council grant was unsuccessful. The disappointment was exacerbated when they heard the reasons for the refusal. First, the project was too big, although it was co-funded. Second, following further questions, they were told that three smaller projects in the county would have to be excluded in order to include the Canon Hayes project.

These matters are with the county council. There is an unwillingness to engage in a joint membership proposal involving the centre and the swimming pool which is under local authority management in Tipperary town. It looks as if the county council has no wish to help or does not want to help.

The capital grants scheme is under the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross. The committee was even more disheartened as it had been told to apply and did. The deprivation index for Tipperary town is relevant. We all know the reasons for the score. It is a wonderful town with wonderful spirited people, but they have nothing in the way of employment or supports. We question the scaling and grading. The Eircode was used to identify the site and location. We question why and how the decision was made. The committee has received no satisfactory answers from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport as to why the proposal scored so badly in the deprivation index. Clearly, the Pobal deprivation index indicates that the relevant part of the town is severely challenged. I have no wish to talk down the town; it is a wonderful town with wonderful people. However, they have got nothing but kicks from successive Governments over the years. They have received no supports. There are other excellent community facilities such as the Moorehaven Centre and many other special facilities. They are organised by people in the true spirit of the late great Canon Hayes. It is not fair that this project has been denied funding.

2:00 pm

Photo of Patrick O'DonovanPatrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, and the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Brendan Griffin. Unfortunately, they are unable to be here. As a former Minister of State in the Department, I have some knowledge of the issue raised by the Deputy. As someone from a neighbouring constituency, I know the centre to which he is referring.

The sports capital programme, as operated by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, provides funding for voluntary, sports and community organisations for the provision of sports and recreational facilities. Over 11,500 projects have benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocations in that time to close to €1 billion. The programme has transformed the sports landscape of Ireland, with improvements in the quality and quantity of sports facilities in virtually every village, town and city in the country. The facilities funded range from the smallest clubs to national centres of sporting excellence.

The most recent round of the programme closed for applications in February last year. I was the Minister of State who opened it. By the deadline, a record number of over 2,300 applications had been received. Originally, it was envisaged that €30 million would be allocated. That would have made the allocation of grants particularly challenging. Following discussions with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, we managed to secure significant extra funding for the scheme. That allowed us to allocate a total of €60 million to 1,807 sports organisations throughout the country. In the case of County Tipperary alone, a total of 82 projects were allocated funding totalling over €2.1 million.

I will outline how individual allocations were decided. For the first time, the full assessment process and scoring system for the 2017 round of the sports capital programme was published on the Department's website in advance of the assessment work commencing. I was the person who insisted that that should happen. The overall amount available for each county was calculated on a per capitabasis, with individual allocation amounts primarily decided by the score received at assessment stage based on the published criteria. Extra marks were awarded for applications that demonstrated how they would increase participation, applications that shared facilities and applications for facilities located in disadvantaged areas. The Deputy referred to these criteria. He also referred to disadvantaged area status. The Pobal deprivation index was used to automatically generate the relevant score based on where the proposed facility was located, as shown by the applicant.

I can inform the House that the Canon Hayes Recreation Centre, of which I am aware, has been allocated a total of over €400,000 under the sports capital programme since 1998. This includes allocations made in the 2017 round of the programme of €27,500 towards the cost of refurbishment of the tennis court. As stated, this amount was based on the total amount available for projects in County Tipperary and the score obtained by the application. While this allocation was less than the amount applied for - a problem in applications throughout the country - officials in the sports capital division of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport are always willing to work with relevant organisations for grants, provided that the proposed alternative works fulfil all other terms and conditions of the sports capital programme.

The Government is committed to continuing to invest in sports infrastructure. In that regard, the national development plan commits to further expanding the sports capital programme in the years ahead. A full review of the 2017 round of the programme has been finished by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and published on the Department's website. The review suggests some further improvements that should be considered prior to the next round of the programme opening for applications. Among the changes being considered are further enhanced weighting for disadvantaged areas and an even greater focus on shared community facilities. Furthermore, the Department is committed to allowing all applicants to correct errors in applications during the assessment stage. This will remedy one of the criticisms levied by many people, including me. I expect an announcement on the timing of the next round to be made in the coming weeks. I imagine Deputies of all persuasions and none will welcome this. In that regard, any application for further suitable works at the Canon Hayes Recreation Centre in Tipperary will receive every consideration.

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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I am not happy with the answer. The cost of the proposed upgrade of the gymnasium and tennis courts came to in excess of €88,000. An application for this funding was made to the sports capital section of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. The committee looked for 95% funding, which would have meant a grant of approximately €83,000, if successful. However, the grant allocated for the project was €27,500, which would not allow either part of the project to proceed, whether the upgrade of the tennis court facilities or the gymnasium. The facilities are in bad condition. They have been badly neglected and are not being maintained by the county council, although it was supposed to do so.

After detailed investigation, it was discovered that the application had scored zero under the heading of level of disadvantage, although the centre is in a disadvantaged area and had scored 22.74 in the Pobal index. Who got the figures wrong? It was not the hard-working committee, the board or the supporters who have paid €100 for tickets in raffles in an effort to keep it going. The problem is in the Departments involved. They are not talking together. We see this a good deal in the Department for which the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, is responsible. Why did he or his officials not talk to Pobal to find out why the proposal had scored zero? It should have scored 22.74 since it is considered to be very disadvantaged in the Pobal index. These are the facts, as the Minister of State cannot deny. There has to be a review. I am not citing the figure of the Canon Hayes Recreation Centre committee or mine. They are the figures of Pobal. It is in a disadvantaged area because of the lack of employment and investment in the town. It is not fair to leave the committee or the community like this. The facilities are so well used by so many. Many good sportspeople have come from the town. The Canon Hayes sports awards scheme has been running for decades. The Minister of State needs to go back to the drawing board. The Department has got it wrong and the Pobal figures are correct. This will be an issue in many facilities throughout the country, including the county of the Minister of State and elsewhere. Facilities come of age. After 30 years they need maintenance and upgrading. There is no point in announcing a scheme if the Government is unable to keep the investment upgraded to a reasonable standard.

Photo of Patrick O'DonovanPatrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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As I pointed out, the centre at the centre of this Topical Issue matter has received over €400,000 in State support under the sports capital programme. It is not an insignificant amount of money. The €27,500 received this time around is not insignificant either. I realise the allocation does not cover the cost of the project as set out, whether for the tennis courts or the gymnasium. However, if there are other works for which the Canon Hayes Recreation Centre committee wishes to apply that follow the original schedule set out by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport for eligible works, departmental officials in Killarney would welcome any opportunity to discuss the matter. It is not as if the €27,500 will not or cannot be drawn down. The Department will be open to seeing whether other elements of the project could be realised.

As the Minister of State, Deputy Brendan Griffith, said recently, the Department hopes to be able to announce the next round of sports capital grants in the coming weeks.

I have left the Department but in my time, there was an understanding that people who got money previously would not be prevented from applying in future. Allocations of €400,000 have been made but those groups can apply again. I know the centre in question and I encourage Tipperary County Council, the Leader company and the local community to go back to the Department to ensure that every point can be achieved in the application. I know the officials in the Department in Killarney and have worked with most of them. They are very good people and are open to an engagement with any sporting organisations which has difficulties to see how they can boost their points. It is often a matter of the presentation of the application. The Deputy has to appreciate, also, that when thousands of applications are received from across the country, officials can only act based on the documentation and information submitted. That said, I have referred specific cases from my constituency, which is across the Galtees from that of the Deputy's, to the Department and the people involved, whether in the GAA or other sporting organisations, always found the Department's officials to be open and accommodating in ensuring the best possible allocation can be made the next time.

I am aware that the Minister, Deputy Ross, is anxious to hear directly about the specific case raised by Deputy Mattie McGrath because he and the Deputy are great friends. I will report directly. I am sure Deputy Cahill and other Deputies from County Tipperary will also have an interest in this. As Deputy McGrath is the person who raised it, I will ensure Deputy Ross reports to him directly.

2:10 pm

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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He should be here to take the matter.

Photo of Patrick O'DonovanPatrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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He sent a good substitute. The Deputy must admit that.

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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He is probably out in the dining room.